Journey to Redemption
by Prin Pardus
Summary: Tigerstar is in the Dark Forest, as he has been for many moons. However, when he finds an innocent kit there, a unique case, he realizes he must help her find her way to StarClan. Together they embark on a journey, to StarClan and to redemption.
1. A N

**AN: Hello, there. If you're reading this, then…you're reading this. 0.o**

**This is a prequel to one of my other stories, Tigerstar's Redemption. What that means is that you can either read this story first, or TR, it actually doesn't matter! This story is here to explain some of the events of TR, mostly about Tigerstar himself. I would honestly recommend reading TR first, since some parts of this story might be spoilerific for TR (which is strange, considering it is a prequel…but still.)**

**If, however, you aren't going to heed my warning, enjoy~**

**If you have already heeded my warning and have returned to read this story, enjoy, but don't get your hopes up for a really really long story. This will be somewhat short (probably over twenty chapters, but that's short for me considering TR had like seventy-nine or something), but the reason for that will be explained.**

**Welcome to the Dark Forest.**


	2. P r o l o g u e

**P **_**r o l o g u e**_

_Good and evil, light and dark, StarClan and the Dark Forest…they are always thought to be the same, or rather the opposite of each other, _the dark tabby thought, gazing up at the sky. _But if there really is good and evil, why is there evil at all? How can they not realize they are evil? And, if they do, don't they realize that somehow, they must lose? A tyrant's worst fear is of the cats he rules, because he knows eventually a hero will rise to crush him._

_Somehow, I crossed the line without seeing it. Somehow, when I thought I was fighting for the good of the forest, making the right decisions although I knew ThunderClan would not approve, I thought StarClan was always on my side. Didn't they give me my nine lives?_

_But I was wrong. Otherwise, I wouldn't have ended up here. Somewhere, I was misled. Somewhere, I took the wrong path. And now I am here until I fade, which should be for some time yet. I am here in my own Hell, until the final death comes to set me free._

The tabby closed his eyes. He shivered slightly; here, there was no sun to warm his pelt, to warm the dark, dismal forest he had come to know as home. The Dark Forest, his Hell, where he would remain until the last color faded from his pelt.

_Other fools have broken underneath this torture, _he thought, _but I will not go down willingly. I will not go down at all. StarClan will not see me become fearful of the end. I will meet it with dignity, something that the StarClan fools could never do. I have not stayed sane for this long for nothing._

_Tigerstar won't fade without a fight._


	3. C h a p t e r 1

**C **_**h a p t e r **_**1**

Tigerstar's ears pricked, listening for the sounds of prey, as they always did when he came out of his slow state. In the Dark Forest, cats could not sleep; sleeping meant dreaming, and StarClan owned dreams. However, there was another state they could fall into, one where they were awake, but their brains moved sluggishly, processing the world around them at a snail's crawl. This was a technique that the cats of the Dark Forest used to preserve their life force, to keep them alive – or as close as they could be – just a little bit longer.

As he noticed he was listening for prey, he stopped, letting out a hiss under his breath. There was no prey in the Dark Forest; only cats, and even those disappeared with time. In the Dark Forest you were always on the border between being hungry and not, thirsty and not, tired and not, wishing somehow that you could cross to the other side, to feel hunger claw your belly to know you were alive.

But those luxuries were reserved for the living and StarClan, not the damned.

Tigerstar sighed quietly, and closed his eyes, almost wanted to go back into the state as close as sleep that he could reach, just to hover there for eternity until he finally faded away as his lifeforce was exhausted. Other cats had done the same, he knew.

There were almost always three ways cats died here; they succumbed to the sleep state forever, they went insane and fought every cat they could until a fatal hit was scored, or they gave themselves up to desperation and tried to find StarClan, tried to redeem themselves somehow.

Tigerstar had not yet chosen any of the three; he was determined to remain strong. But already his strong shell was beginning to crack, and he could feel the fear within him, the fear of the existence of the damned; nothingness. Here, cats had the palest form of life, until their lifeforce was exhausted. Once that happened, they would begin to fade into nothingness…and eventually disappear from existence forever. Once in the Dark Forest, there was no coming back.

Or so it was thought.

Tigerstar pushed these troubling thoughts from his mind, and got to his paws, padding aimlessly through the forest. He did this often – there was nothing else to do – and it helped relieve some of the boredom he often felt. The only direction he never strayed towards was north, and that was for a reason.

Suddenly, a strange smell caught his nose, and he turned, eyes narrowed. Eventually cats lost their scent here, but when a cat first arrived in the Dark Forest, they smelled full of life. One way to tell how close a cat was to fading was by scent alone.

This scent was strange, though; it scented of no Clan that he knew, unlike all of the other cats that died and came here. And it wasn't a smell of battle, or sickness, like most…it was a strange, almost milky sort of scent, the scent that kits held over themselves even when they were far past suckling.

Tigerstar turned, following the scent. A sudden whimpering caught his ear, and for a moment he was reminded of a mouse, or something similar…was it a mouse that made that noise? Was it something else? He was losing his memories now, they were fading; they had been fading for a year now, a sure sign that the end was near for him.

He stopped suddenly, staring in shock at the little scrap of fur that lay before him. It was a kit – a _kit! –_ and although it was clear it was not a suckling kit, it was a kit nonetheless. Tigerstar took a step backwards. This…how could it be so? Kits were never sent to the Dark Forest; it was almost impossible for any kit to commit any real crime, and even then often they didn't realize what they had done. Why would StarClan send a kit here?

Not only that, but she smelled of no Clan that he had ever met. She did not smell of the weak ThunderClan, the arrogant RiverClan, the pathetic WindClan, or the traitorous ShadowClan.

So why, then, was she here? Tigerstar had always thought that cats that did not believe in StarClan were simply wiped from existence. But this was a kit clearly not of any of the four Clans, and although old enough to be weaned, not old enough to commit crimes.

He couldn't seem to get his head around it, and for a moment he wanted to slip away, to put this problem behind him and pretend that it hadn't happened, that it hadn't shattered the rules that every Dark Forest cat had though were set in stone.

But that would be weakness, and he refused to accept weakness. Never would he show weakness, when StarClan could be watching.

"You, kit," he growled, unsheathing his long claws and taking a step forward. The kit opened her eyes; they were a bright blue, soft against her silver pelt. She let out a squeak of horror, and flattened herself to the ground with fear.

"P-Please don't hurt me!" she stammered, her voice a terrified squeak.

"Why are you here?" Tigerstar demanded, taking pleasure at her terrified expression. How long had it been since someone had shown fear in his presence? Much too long, for sure.

"I-I don't know," the kit whimpered, her voice shrill with fright. "W-we were cold, very cold, my mother and I, and the Twolegs wouldn't take us back and we couldn't live with the wildcats and we tried to make it to my father but it was…so cold…." She closed her eyes and a shudder ran down her tiny body.

_A kittypet? _Tigerstar thought, and his hatred of this little scrap of fur deepened. "You're in the Dark Forest," he snarled, "and if you don't want me to make it worse for you, you're going to tell me everything. What wild cats? What Twolegs? Tell me everything. Are you of Clan blood?"

The little kit gulped. "M-my mother was named Song," she whispered. "She was a kittypet but after she had me, the Twolegs kicked us out. It was the cold-time and we had nowhere to go…and…." Her eyes widened suddenly. "Am I dead?"

"Yes," Tigerstar said impatiently, "you can mourn over that later. Tell me everything, _now._"

The kit shrank back in fear. "W-we tried to find my father, but it was too cold and his Twolegs wouldn't let him out," she whispered. "But my mother remembered the stories he had told us, of a Clan of cats in the ravine…SkyClan….We tried to make it to them, but snow was everywhere and I couldn't see…I must have fallen over the edge…I remember falling…." She buried her face in her paws.

Tigerstar had no pity for her. "SkyClan?" he growled. "What nonsense is this?"

"Mother used to tell stories of SkyClan…they used to live with four other Clans, but their territory was destroyed and they were cast out…years later a cat named Firestar with his mate came and helped rebuild the Clan. My mother's sister, Echo, became Echosong and became the Clan's medicine cat. She said we were descended from SkyClan, but was too scared to join them. My father was Hutch, and he lived with SkyClan too, becoming Shortwhisker…he was Shortwhisker when my mother became his mate, but he kept it a secret, eventually leaving the Clan for her…." She gulped.

"I see," Tigerstar said slowly, his pelt prickling with hatred at the mention of Firestar. He pushed that emotion aside, trying to think.

_She was half Clan when she was conceived, at the very least, _he thought, _and if both her parents were descended from SkyClan, one a member when she was created, then maybe that was enough to bring her into the afterlife…but it wasn't enough to send her to StarClan. So she's stuck here, until she dies…._

The mystery had been solved, then; it was just a strange event, it meant nothing, and he could move on without pity. Tigerstar turned away from the frightened kit, and padded away.


	4. C h a p t e r 2

**AN:**

**Of course we'll see the kits, guys! She's the one that Tigerstar tries to get to StarClan. Any other kits running around the Dark Forest? And no worries, you'll know when the story is over.**

**C **_**h a p t e r **_**2**

"No!" he heard the panicked kit's shout. "No, no please! Don't leave me!" He heard the sound of tiny pawsteps behind him, and Tigerstar began moving faster, intent on losing her. She was young and probably did not yet know how to scent; he would evade her easily. Tigerstar broke into a lope. Behind him, he could hear crunching sounds as the kit blundered through the forest, smashing through leaves and brush in her desperation to reach him.

"Please! I don't want to be alone!" the kit yowled, but Tigerstar only increased his pace, moving faster than he had before. Gradually, her sounds died away, but Tigerstar continued to run, intent on losing her. He stopped beside a stream that was flowing gently, and without thinking, bent to drink. His muzzle grew wet as his face entered the stream, but when he opened his mouth, no water flowed into it. Tigerstar lifted his head, allowing the water to flow down his muzzle. If he tried to catch it with his tongue, it would simply disappear; Dark Forest cats could not drink, although they could drown.

Tigerstar swam across the stream and laid down on the opposite bank, after shaking the water out of his fur; there was no sun to dry it here, after all.

He rested his large head on his paws and closed his eyes, descending into the slow-state.

* * *

A quiet warmth on his side woke Tigerstar up. Incredulously, he stared down at the tiny silver kit nestled against his side. _How did she find me? _He wondered, blinking down at her in disbelief. _How?_

He got to his paws and the little kit blinked, opening her eyes. "Please," she whispered, "don't run off again."

"How did you follow me?" Tigerstar hissed.

"I followed your trail," the little kit yawned. "I'm a good swimmer, my mommy always said. That's why she named me Splash."

Tigerstar blinked slowly for a moment. "I don't have any answers for you," he finally said, and turned away. "You're here until you fade. Get used to being alone." He got to his paws and stalked away. It only took a few moments for him to hear Splash following him.

"Go away!" he turned with a snarl. The kit's ears flattened slightly, but this time she did not shrink back.

"I want to be with you," she said quietly, not meeting his amber gaze. "Please?"

Tigerstar hissed. He could kill her so easily, crush her head beneath his paw and snuff out her life force…but what would that prove? It would not aid him, and it would not aid her. He let out a growl, and turned away.

"Follow me if you like, I don't care," he said without turning to look at her. "Just don't touch me, and don't talk to me."

He could practically hear her face splitting into a grin as she trotted behind him, taking in the strange, dark forest.

"Where is the sun?" she inquired. "Is it nighttime? Where are the stars?"

"What did I just say?" Tigerstar growled.

"That I shouldn't talk," Splash said quietly. "But I need to know, don't I? Where are we? This doesn't sound like the StarClan Song told me about."

"I told you, you aren't in StarClan," Tigerstar hissed. "You're in the Dark Forest, whelp. You'll stay here until you fade forever."

Splash stopped walking, and Tigerstar turned to look at her. She looked shocked.

"But what about Song?" she whispered.

"You'll probably never see her here," Tigerstar retorted. "You're a special circumstance, but your mother was just a stupid kittypet. She'll die and fade."

"She believed in StarClan!" Splash protested. "She'll be there!"

"You believed, but you aren't there, now are you?" Tigerstar said nastily, before continuing to pad away. Splash was silent, but she still followed him.

* * *

Tigerstar had expected Splash to leave at some point, but she kept following him, day after day after day; or as close to days as the Dark Forest had. She wouldn't leave him alone, and although she was usually silent, sometimes she would blurt out things about her mother or father or SkyClan. She didn't try to sleep with him again, much to his relief. He didn't much like kits; they were weak, sniveling things. He had no use for any cat until they were a warrior, really.

He woke up once to hear her sniffling quietly. He didn't move and closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep. She sniffled and mumbled her mother's name over and over, sometimes including her father's name and SkyClan. Several "nights" she would whisper stories to herself about SkyClan, and the great cats that lived there. Tigerstar almost felt a shred of pity for her.

One day, she asked him a question about the forest.

"Where does everyone go?"

Tigerstar turned her. "Please elaborate," he said dryly.

"Well, I mean you and I can't be the only bad cats, right? Where do the others go?"

"They fade," Tigerstar said with a yawn, resting his broad head on his paws. "Eventually what remains of your lifeforce will dry up, and you'll fade too. Or they pick a fight with another cat and lose, and lose their lifeforce that way."

"But surely…surely there are more," Splash said slowly. "I've only seen you, and it sounds like fading takes a long time, and fights can't be common with so much space here…."

"There is a third way they disappear," Tigerstar said, closing his eyes. "They leave."

Splash's ears pricked. "They leave? To go where?"

"There is a legend, passed down from cat to cat here that if you follow the north star – the only star in the sky, if you'll notice – that you'll make it to StarClan. Obviously, no cat comes back, so no one knows if there is any truth to it. Eventually everyone becomes desperate not to fade, and so they go off in search of it….Darkstripe didn't believe he should have ended up here, so he left moons ago…Hawkfrost too….I've been alone for some time now."

"That's sad," Splash said softly. "To die alone, I mean."

"I don't want your pity," Tigerstar growled, before turning away. "Go back to being quiet, why don't you?"

* * *

Tigerstar didn't hear anything about the north star for several days, but he noticed Splash would often search the sky for it, and a little smile would curl her muzzle once she had found it.

Then, one day, she announced her plan.

"I'm going to find StarClan," she said, her voice brimming with confidence. Tigerstar raised his eyebrows.

"You? Find StarClan?" he asked, and let out a derisive laugh. "You've got about as much chance of finding StarClan as I do catching a mouse here," he snorted.

Splash frowned at him. "I don't care. I'm going to. I'm going to find Song," she declared. Then, her voice gentled. "You can come with me," she said softly, and then hurriedly added, "I mean, if you want to."

"By all means, go," Tigerstar growled. "It will be good to have you out of my fur." He closed his eyes. He heard Splash let out a quiet sigh, and he smirked to himself; there was no way she would leave. She wasn't brave enough. Then, his ears pricked as he heard the sound of her pawsteps, as she padded away to find her mother.


	5. C h a p t e r 3

**C **_**h a p t e r **_**3**

_She'll be back, _Tigerstar thought confidently. But, when he awoke hours later, she was nowhere to be seen. He frowned to himself and got to his paws, scenting the surrounding area. He picked up her scent almost immediately, and then hesitated; why would he want to find her?

_Company, _a quiet voice said in his mind, and he realized it was true; Tigerstar had never been a loner cat. He had always had cats with him; Darkstripe, Brokenstar's rogues, Longtail, and Dustpelt in life, Hawkfrost in death. Now he was alone, he had been for some time, and it was beginning to gnaw at him. He had grown used to the kit's company. And then there was Splash herself, her brightness, even though she knew she was in the Dark Forest. There was almost a sweetness about her when she talked about her mother in StarClan.

_Maybe…maybe she could…._ Tigerstar thought. And then there was, of course, the other cats in the area…Splash hadn't seen them yet, but they were there, and vicious. They weren't sent to the Dark Forest for nothing….They were abusive and cruel and enjoyed having their way with she-cats; Tigerstar wasn't sure that Splash's tender age would protect her.

He got to his paws and began following her scent, careful to get every drop of scent that he could gather. He moved into a gentle lope, and gradually her scent grew stronger. Other scents were beginning to mingle with it, and Tigerstar realized he wasn't the only one that had been tracking Splash.

He heard low voices ahead of him, deep voices, and Splash's frightened whimper.

"Get away!" he heard her growl, and he imagined her bristling. "Get away! I've got a big friend, and he'll hurt you if you don't leave me alone!"

"I'm so scared," he heard a voice, a tom's, sneer. "I'll kill your big friend, kitten, and then I'll come for you. What do you say to that?"

Splash's reply was cut off by Tigerstar's appearance, as he came into view. Three toms, two quite large, had Splash surrounded. The smallest of the three (although he was still decent in size) turned to Tigerstar with surprise.

"Hello, Tigerstar," he said, giving him a quick nod. "Sorry if we disturbed you. We just found a kit of all things. Strange, innit? She's a delicate little thing, but she has a temper. I like them fiery," he said with a grin in Splash's direction. She growled at him.

"Tigerstar's going to beat you up!" she declared loudly. The tom's eyes widened.

"Is this your big friend?" he asked, glancing at Tigerstar.

"You could say that, Flint," Tigerstar said, and took a step forward. "Let her go. Now."

"Ah, yes, I had forgotten you didn't like she-cat violence," Flint said with a raspy laugh. "I think you'll just have to look the other way on this account, Tigerstar. Us toms have to have some pleasure in this dark world, wouldn't you agree?"

Tigerstar's eyes narrowed. "Let her go," he said again, and unsheathed his claws. Splash let out a little cheer.

"This is going to get ugly," Flint growled, his amber eyes narrowing as well.

"You're already there!" Splash crowed, emboldened by Tigerstar's return.

"Shut up," Flint snarled, and it was at that moment that Tigerstar struck, raking his long claws across Flint's throat. Tigerstar didn't stop to see the silvery essence pour from Flint's fatal wound; he had to turn his attention instead to the other two toms, who were advancing, both bristling and growling.

"Splash, run," Tigerstar ordered. Splash, who had froze with horror, shivered and seemed to come to her senses, turning tail and disappearing into the forest. Tigerstar leaped at the second tom, landing on his back and biting his throat before leaping at the second. The second was ready, and scored a long gash down Tigerstar's side before Tigerstar slicing his stomach open and stepping back. Flint was dead and the first large tom was as well. The second large tom struggled to get to his feet, but his silver essence was already pouring away. His eyes burned with hatred, but this soon faded and his head drooped to the ground. He let out a final rattling breath, and was silent.

Tigerstar licked the silvery fluid off of his claws – lifeforce – before following Splash's fear scent. He found her crouched under a boulder, quivering with fear.

"Are you intent upon staying there all day?" he inquired.

"Tigerstar!" she exclaimed, her voice echoing slightly. She crept out from underneath the boulder, and blinked up at him, her eyes round with fear.

"Stop looking at me like that," Tigerstar snapped. "You're safe, aren't you?"

"You were so…_vicious,_" Splash said in almost an awed voice. "I-I didn't think you could…."

"I'm in the Dark Forest," Tigerstar growled. "I'm not a nice cat. The sooner you learn that, the better off you'll be."

"But you still saved me," Splash pointed out. "You came after me. Are you coming with me to StarClan?"

Tigerstar hesitated. _It's either follow her, or waste away here, _he thought. _And maybe…maybe she's right. She's not supposed to be here, so my best bet on getting out of here is being with her._

"Fine," he growled. "I'll come."

Splash let out a cheer and raced around, chasing her tell.

"Don't do that," Tigerstar snapped. Splash paused, and blinked up at him.

"Why not?"

"Wastes energy," Tigerstar grunted. "It's pointless and wasteful. You don't have much time, anyway."

Splash blinked. "What do you mean by that?"

"How old are you? Three moons?" Tigerstar asked. Splash bristled.

"I'm four and a half moons!" she declared.

"Then you've got two and a half moons to live, roughly," Tigerstar said. "You've got roughly half of your lifeforce in you, here, that you did in life. That's just how it is. You'll need to conserve all of the energy you can, if you're intent upon making it."

Splash's eyes widened. "Half my life?" she whispered. "But that's so short!"

"That's why we need to get moving now," Tigerstar replied. He glanced upward at the north star and then began padding forward, with Splash beside him.

What Tigerstar didn't know was that one act of saving Splash would lead to perhaps the greatest journey the Dark Forest had ever seen.

**AN: Yes, Flint's hinting at some rather nasty stuff. This is cat-Hell, and it is rated "T", meaning that we're dealing with adult ideas (although nothing actually graphic). And this is Tigerstar we're talking about, which means he's going to be as vicious as he needs to be. You've been warned. ;)**

**Streamstar almost seems kind in comparison, eh?**


	6. C h a p t e r 4

**C **_**h a p t e r **_**4**

Tigerstar and Splash moved quickly through the forest, intent upon leaving Flint's body, which had probably already melted away, as quickly as possible. Flint had more than just two cronies, and Tigerstar was sure that once the others realized their friends were dead, they would come after him. Tigerstar wanted to put as much distance as he could between them.

"So, we just follow the star and we'll make it to StarClan?" Splash asked as they walked. "It seems so easy. Why doesn't everyone go there?"

"We don't know whether the legend is true or not; no one has ever returned," Tigerstar said.

"But…then how did it get started?" Splash asked. Tigerstar had no answer to that.

"Who did you hear it from?" Splash asked after a short pause.

"A cat named Brokenstar," Tigerstar replied. Splash's eyes widened.

"Another leader?" she asked. "Song always said leaders were supposed to be good cats. Why else would they give you nine lives?"

"StarClan doesn't judge who the Clan decides will be leader," Tigerstar replied. "StarClan are fools, always optimistic; even when they know the evils in a cat's heart, they will still hope for the better."

Splash was quiet for some time, and Tigerstar began to relax; if they kept up this brisk pace, they would make it away from Flint's band easily.

"How come you and Brokenstar kept your names, but Flint didn't? I thought only Clan cats could make it here or StarClan?"

"You're here, aren't you?" Tigerstar replied.

"I'm special," Splash retorted. Tigerstar rolled his eyes.

"I kept it because of what it represented for me," he said. "There's no warrior code here; most of the cats that make it here have already shattered the warrior code so many times that it no longer matters to them. Sometimes they keep the beginning of their warrior name, sometimes they create a completely new name. By keeping 'star', I remind everyone who I once was, the power I once held, as well as the prestige surrounding it."

Splash nodded slowly. "How did you become leader?" she asked.

Tigerstar did not answer.

* * *

Since Dark Forest cats did not truly need to sleep, Tigerstar could have kept walking forever. However, Splash, who was still adapting to life in the Dark Forest, did need rest; she was quickly becoming tired, and Tigerstar refused to allow her to show weakness by offering to carry her.

In the end, Splash curled up underneath an old oak tree, and Tigerstar descended into the slow-state as well, to preserve energy while he waited for her. The north star hung above the, never moving, or at least no one believed that it moved; there was nothing to measure its movements here, after all. Sometimes Tigerstar found himself missing the moon or the stars, but he had always pushed those weak feelings away. They had strengthened after Darkstripe and Hawkfrost had left, leaving him alone. Flint had given him the offer of joining his little group of thugs, but Tigerstar had declined; he would rather be alone than with monsters like them.

Once Splash awoke and felt a bit better, they began walking again. Shortly after that, Splash began complaining.

"I'm hungry," she whined.

"You can't be hungry," Tigerstar growled.

"But I am," Splash said.

"You're probably close to hungry, as close as possible, but you cannot be truly hungry here," Tigerstar said in a flat voice. "That is a feeling that we entirely lack."

Splash was quiet for a moment. "That's what it feels like," she said finally, rubbing her tummy slightly with her tail. "How do I make it go away?"

Tigerstar snorted. "If only I knew the answer to that. Don't you think I'd have fixed it within myself, if I had known how?"

"You feel it too?" Splash asked.

"Everyone here does, after a time. The thirst will creep in on you soon."

"But there's water here, remember?" Splash asked. "I swam over that one stream to find you."

"Did any of that water get into your mouth?" Tigerstar asked. Splash frowned.

"Well, no," she said slowly, "but I thought it was because I was a good swimmer."

"You can feel the water, you can smell it, you can hear it, but you can never taste it," Tigerstar said.

"This…this is a terrible place," Splash whispered. "Who could do anything bad enough to be sent here?"

Again, Tigerstar did not answer her question.

* * *

They camped down to rest again the next "night". The next day, Splash was again full of questions.

"How come we don't sleep, or dream?" she wondered.

"How come you never stop asking questions?" Tigerstar snapped. Splash nipped his tail, sending a prickle of irritation through Tigerstar's dark pelt.

"Quit it," he growled. Splash giggled, and then pounced on his tail, sending a jolt of pain up Tigerstar's spine. He turned and snarled, pulled his tail out of her grasp. Splash blinked up at him, and stuck her tongue out. Tigerstar's short temper flared. He moved forward too quickly for her to get away, and pinned her down with one massive paw, unsheathing his claws just enough to prick her skin.

"When I said don't touch me, I mean don't touch me," he hissed. "When I said stop asking questions, I meant stop asking questions. And when I said quit it, I mean quit it. Understand?"

"Y-yes," Splash whimpered, her blue eyes wide with fright. Tigerstar held her there a moment longer to cement the idea, and then let her up, turning away. Splash laid there for a moment, panting, as if she couldn't believe he could have killed her. Slowly, she rose to her paws and began following him again, her head drooping and her tail dragging the ground. Tigerstar let out a low growl, pushing away any pity for the kit that he might have felt. She was just a kit, yes, and a playful, energetic one, but if she was coming with him she would do exactly what he said. If he was risking his own neck to save her from dangerous cats or to help guide her to StarClan, she would follow his orders, and no other. She would learn to control her impulses and do exactly as he commanded.

He would accept nothing less.


	7. C h a p t e r 5

**AN: I'm not replying to each review for this story (no offense, but it kind of takes forever xD) but to answer one question: SkyClan will not appear in this story, besides Splash, Song, and Hutch. However, they will appear in another of my stories, kind of. And you hit Tigerstar spot-on, Lynxeye.**

**Splash didn't make it to StarClan because, as stated, she didn't have enough Clan blood in her. But she had too much for her to simply disappear, and thus she found the middle ground, a place where both destinies are possible.**

**I know I'm taking a crap-ton of creative liberty with the Dark Forest…but meh. xD**

**C **_**h a p t e r **_**5**

Splash was very quiet and subdued for the next two days, barely saying anything to Tigerstar, or herself, for that matter. Her silence didn't bother Tigerstar very much; he was tired of answering her stupid questions. She could figure out most things by herself if she actually tried, so why should he help her at all?

Her moping quickly became as irritating as her chattering; her silence was awkward and she refused to look at him. Tigerstar almost felt like pinning her down again or ordering her to speak, but he was afraid she would become a chatterbox again. It seemed Splash only operated on two settings, high or low, with no sort of middle ground.

Apologizing was, of course, out of the question. Tigerstar never apologized.

Splash's expression soon became pained, and Tigerstar knew she was beginning to feel the terrible almost-thirst, in addition to the almost-hunger.

She began making strange noises in her sleep, also, and Tigerstar couldn't help but be a little worried. Her mutterings of her mother became more common, and so did the shivering that Tigerstar could only guess was caused because of the cold she had felt before she had died.

Tigerstar had vowed to push Splash further; these signs were troubling, and even though she had two and a quarter moons to find StarClan, at this rate it might be less than even that.

* * *

Splash fell into step beside him, still strangely quiet.

"Do you think my mother's dead too?" she asked finally. Tigerstar glanced down at her, and then shrugged his massive shoulders.

"I hope…I hope she makes it to StarClan," Splash said softly. "I don't want to find it…and then not have her there…that would be awful. And if she goes here instead, then she'll be all alone, and she won't have a cat like you to help her on her way. She might be stuck here forever!"

She looked up at Tigerstar. "Should we have stayed behind, do you think? To help Song?"

"You'd be gone before she ever got here," Tigerstar growled. "She'll probably live on for moons, or something. Waiting for her would be a waste of both of our times."

Splash was quiet again, and Tigerstar's tail flicked slowly as he thought. Where would Song go? Her heritage was that of SkyClan, but unless she actually joined the Clan, it would be quite hard for her to make it to the Dark Forest, let alone SkyClan. And would she join SkyClan now that her daughter was dead, and she had no one to look out for but herself? Would that tom – Hutch, was it? – come back to SkyClan as well?

More importantly, would SkyClan's leader accept them back?

* * *

The next day, there was a mighty obstacle in their path; a large, fiercely flowing river. Tigerstar could see the opposite bank, but, having not come this way before, did not know how deep the river was, or how swift the current.

"Let's swim!" Splash said excitedly.

"No," Tigerstar growled. "We might be swept away if we try that. We'll have to go another way, instead." They padded along the bank together, looking for another crossing point, somewhere that had a slower current or a nearer bank. Finally, Tigerstar settled for a long branch that hung over the river. It was only about half-way to the other side, but Tigerstar was confident that he could swim across.

"Come here," he said, and grabbed Splash's scruff in his jaws. She barely weighed a thing. Holding his tail out for balance and carefully placing his claws in the wood, he began padding forward. Almost immediately, he noticed a problem; the wood was slick from the spray of the river washing up on it, and it was almost certainly rotting from the inside. Tigerstar paused for a moment, considering their options. They could continue downstream, in hopes of a better spot, and risk losing time, or they could continue across this log. If it broke they might be swept away, or Tigerstar would be able to swim to the other side.

_Time is most important here, _Tigerstar thought, and gritted his teeth – ignoring Splash's yelp of protest – and continued forward.

They neared the end of the long, pale branch, and Tigerstar readied himself to leap. He crouched, coiling his muscles. As he did, he heard the groaning of the branch beneath him, until it suddenly snapped. Desperately, Tigerstar sprang forward as they fell, his paws outstretched towards the bank. It seemed so close, and he was certain his paws would touch it, but as they hit the water, he realized with disbelief that the other bank was almost twice as far away as it had been from on top of the branch. He struggled, swimming towards the other bank, but it seemed that as he swam, the river _stretched, _and the bank remained just out of his reach. Splash's head was bobbing in and out of the water in his jaws, and the river was beginning to suck him down as well. Tigerstar gulped one final breath of air, before the water pulling him downwards. As they were sent spinning through the dark water, not knowing which way was up or down, Tigerstar wondered if his careless decision would cost him his life, as well as Splash's. How much lifeforce would they lose because of his one careless act?


	8. C h a p t e r 6

**C **_**h a p t e r **_**6**

Tigerstar's cheek was pressed against a smooth stone surface, when he opened his eyes and blinked slowly. There was almost no light; the only light came from a hole in the ceiling above, through which only the north star shined.

_Ceiling? _ Tigerstar thought suddenly, and raised his head, looking around him quickly. They were in a cave; it appeared the river fed down into one, here. It must split into several parts, because the water lapping at his fur was shallow and gentle. He and Splash appeared to have washed up onto a smooth stone bank.

Tigerstar got to his paws and shook himself, then blinked down at little Splash. Her eyes were open, but she looked dazed and a bit confused, blinking slowly. He nudged her with one paw.

"Come on," he growled, looking around nervously. "We don't know who is here. We need to be on our guard."

Splash coughed, and got to his paws shakily, shivered at the cool breeze that chilled them both.

"W-what do we do?" she stammered.

"Follow the breeze to find a way out," Tigerstar replied. "We can't go back the way we came."

Splash nodded and followed him, sticking so close that she almost appeared to be his shadow. The water had pressed her fur to her skin, making her look tiny; for the first time, Tigerstar saw how skinny she was. _If she hadn't fallen off of that cliff, she would have surely died of starvation, _he thought, but said nothing.

There appeared to be a light ahead, but that was impossible; Tigerstar blinked, and had to squint, it was so bright. They entered a large cavern, and Tigerstar saw the source; the river they were following led into a large, deep pool that seemed to glitter and dance like starlight.

Splash's mouth dropped open and she ran forward, but Tigerstar grabbed her tail.

"Don't," he growled, looking around nervously. "We don't know who lives here, remember? And we don't know what makes it sparkle. It could be deadly."

"But it's so beautiful," Splash said, her blue eyes sparkling with the reflection of the pool.

"_You are right to be cautious," _a voice behind them whispered, incredibly soft but still managing to echo.

Tigerstar spun around and unsheathed his claws, snarling, and then stood there and gaped. An impossible creature stood there before them; it was a cat, male or female he could not tell, but that was not important. Its pelt glittered like the pool, and Tigerstar could see stars within it. _A StarClan cat? _He wondered. But almost immediately, the stars on its pelt began fading, and its pelt turned a dark, shadowy black, the color of the Dark Forest's sky. Then it lightened again and glowed as the stars reappeared.

"What are you?" Tigerstar hissed. Splash was frozen in a mixture of awe and fear.

"_A cat who made wrong decisions and right ones," _ the cat said, and sat down. _"I committed terrible crimes, but I did them for love. I did great things, but for the wrong reasons. When I died I came here, much to my surprise, but I was not the same as the others; the stars on my pelt glow, showing the goodness inside of me, before begin swallowed by the darkness, the worst parts of me, only to shine again. StarClan did not know what to do for me; I was too dark for StarClan, and too light for the Dark Forest. So, instead, they gave me a task; I was to be the guardian of StarClan, to ensure that only the worthy made it there."_

"It's true?" Splash asked excitedly. "We can still get to StarClan?"

The strange cat turned to her, and then nodded. _"However, first, you must pass nine tests," _the cat whispered. _"Tigerstar, you must take them for Splash; she is too young. You must be her guardian."_

"How do you know my name?" Tigerstar growled, but the cat did not answer. He glanced at Splash, who was blinking up at him pleadingly. _We can both get to StarClan, if I just pass the tests, _he thought, and then nodded.

"I'll do it," he growled. "What are these tests? What do I have to fight?" He unsheathed his claws again.

"_You will fight nothing here," _the spirit said calmly. _"These tests are not of your physical prowess, Tigerstar. In every cat, there are nine important traits, unique to each cat, that they already possess or must train to possess. Tigerstar, you, unlike many other cats, already know these traits; your nine lives."_

Tigerstar's eyes widened. "I'm going to earn them again?" he asked, and his voice was louder with excitement. The spirit shook its head.

"_No. In coming here, you have proven that you have lost those nine traits, and StarClan will not accept you back until you find them again. StarClan does not know of your other eight figures, and I will not tell them, but you will never have nine lives again."_

Tigerstar's eyes widened, and Splash blinked.

"What eight figures?" she whispered, but Tigerstar did not answer.

"What is my first test?" Tigerstar asked, and the spirit nodded towards the pool.

"_Your first trait is cleansing, or becoming whole," _the spirit said. _"Step into the pool. Allow it to cleanse your crimes, and allow the darkness inside of you to leave your body."_

Tigerstar hesitated; clearly he did not believe this spirit. For all he knew, it could be some devious trap. But he had no choice. Tigerstar padded towards the pool, hesitated, and then put one paw into the water. It sent a shiver up his body; the coldness of it startled him, but there was something else to it as well. He padded in, feeling energy flow into him; it was like he was an apprentice again, full of energy and willpower. Tigerstar hesitated, and then ducked underwater, opening his eyes. The water was remarkably clear, he could see to the other side of the pool, and the feeling amazed him. Then, on a hunch, he opened his mouth. Water flooded in. Tigerstar was so surprised that he inhaled, and the water flooded down his throat. He broke the surface again, sputtering, and Splash laughed. Tigerstar coughed, water streaming from his mouth and nose, and then licked the water's surface, feeling the cool energy flow down his throat. Greedily, he began to drink, feeling his almost-thirst give way before the incredible water.

"Splash, come here!" he cried. "Drink it!"

Splash hesitated and glanced at the spirit, but it said nothing. She padded forward and gulped down a bit of the water, letting out a cry of happiness. She buried her entire muzzle in it, guzzling it down, and then spat out a fountain of water, hitting Tigerstar in the face. Almost immediately her face became fearful and she crouched, watching him warily. Tigerstar could feel the anger rising within him, but now it had to contend with the strange joy that he felt. Tigerstar raised his paw, and Splash closed her eyes, sure he was about to hit her. Instead she got a faceful of water as his paw came down, splashing her. Splash opened her eyes and let out a giggle, splashing forward, sending glowing drops of water everywhere.

Tigerstar and Splash played, actually _played _together, splashing and tackling each other in the water, rolling over and over until they were both completely soaked. Tigerstar didn't care about wasting energy, for once; he was certain that this water had filled him to the brim with it. He and Splash collapsed on the edge of the pool, panting. As they padded out of the pool, the water disappeared from their fur, and as it did, from their bellies, leaving the almost-thirst still within them, although they were full of energy. Tigerstar's eyes widened. How could this be so? He could feel it again, the terrible almost-thirst, rising within him. Immediately he turned and padded back to the pool, but it was as if there was an invisible barrier now; his paw couldn't touch it. Splash let out a whimper and rubbed her belly, hurrying back and trying to get to the water, but she could no more than he. Tigerstar turned to the spirit.

"What trickery is this?" he hissed.

"_The pool has done its job, and you have returned to your normal state," _the spirit said indifferently. _"You have passed the first test, but you can no longer get into the pool."_ The spirit turned and pointed with his muzzle to a tunnel Tigerstar had not seen at first.

"_That is the way out,"_ the spirit said, and then as they watched, faded into nothingness.

"I thought we were safe," Splash whispered. "I thought the thirst would go away forever!"

Tigerstar simply shook his head, unable to admit that he had been thinking and hoping the same thing. But their hopes had been cruelly dashed, and it was with heavy hearts that they headed for the tunnel.


	9. C h a p t e r 7

**AN: You guys are so kind. ;^;**

**Pfft. Tigerstar's still a meany, no worries. It was more of the elated feeling of drinking something after a year or two of torture, coupled with the pool's energy that made him nice for a moment.**

**C **_**h a p t e r **_**7**

Tigerstar and Splash padded through the tunnel together. It grew steadily darker as they left the glittering pool behind. Tigerstar's mood was dark and stormy as well, as the thirst grew inside of him. He could almost taste the water, and he found himself thinking that it might have been better not to drink it at all; over the moons here he had forgotten what water had tasted like, but now the memory was fresh and unattainable.

Splash too seemed in low spirits, and very nervous. Tigerstar didn't blame her; Splash's fate was tied with his now, and she knew it, and Tigerstar suspected that she did not trust him completely, especially after their mishap at the river.

The tunnel soon turned a dull gray as they emerged from the other side. Tigerstar searched the sky for their guide. He found the north star and flicked his tail to Splash.

"Let's go," he growled.

They had come out on the other side of the river bank; the cave must have been under the river, although very far downstream. Tigerstar yawned and shook himself, as if shaking off lingering droplets of water, although there were of course none. Splash copied him, and they continued through the forest.

"What did the spirit mean by eight figures?" Splash asked finally. Tigerstar glanced at her, and then shrugged his shoulders.

"That's a story for another time," was all he would say.

"What about the other tests?" Splash tried. "Do you know what they'll be?"

"I dimly remember them," Tigerstar replied. It was a huge understatement; as dull as his other memories were, the memories of him getting his nine lives were sharp, almost painful, compared to the rest of his life. He knew what lay ahead, although he wasn't sure what the tasks going along with them would be.

Splash was quiet again, clearly deep in thought, but she didn't say anything else. Tigerstar didn't mind; he wasn't in the mood for talking.

They eventually stopped to rest, curling up away from each other as usual.

* * *

They attempted to move hard and fast for the next several days, intent upon making up however much time they had lost in the river. Splash didn't show it, but Tigerstar knew she was probably becoming worn out. Tigerstar allowed her to set a slower pace if she needed to, but she continued to match his long stride. Tigerstar couldn't help but be impressed.

The forest turned into a gentle upwards slope as they padded along, and Splash began to pant a big as it became steadily steeper. The slope was still covered in grass, which was easier on their paws than rocks. Tigerstar couldn't help but scent and look for prey; it was in his nature. ThunderClan didn't have very many open fields, but ShadowClan did, and his time there had made him in tune with the prey that often hid there, even if there was no prey in the Dark Forest.

Splash looked around with keen interest in her bright blue eyes; apparently she was used to rockier slopes and dirty streets, compared to these sorts of grassy slopes. She couldn't help but prick her ears, listening for prey, Tigerstar noticed, and for some reason this made him smile. She was young, it was true, but if she had lived she would have made a great warrior for SkyClan.

There were no signs of other cats around, which Tigerstar found odd, and he continued to be tense as they padded along together. The idea of claiming territory was still a strong one, and many cats, even knowing they would eventually fade, would often claim a territory before they did fade in the end. Tigerstar hadn't scented any boundaries, but that might have been because of the pool's scent still hanging around in his nostrils.

They made it over the slope and then continued down the other side. Once Splash slipped, and would have gone rolling down the steep side, if Tigerstar hadn't caught her tail just in time. She let out a yelp of pain, but when Tigerstar sat her down and she peered down at the boulders dotting the slope, she knew she could have had a lot worse than a sore tail if she had fallen.

She thanked Tigerstar, and chose her footing much more carefully after that. Tigerstar was nervous as well; one miss-step and he could lose his ticket to StarClan. His fate was entwined with Splash, and if she died, he would be condemned to stay here until he died as well.

Once they made it off the slope, it was a bit harder to get alone. Large boulders were strewn across a long field, seemingly haphazardly. Tigerstar lost sight of Splash several times as they went opposite directions around the boulders. It made him decidedly nervous; for all he knew, there was a cat waiting just behind the next boulder that would snatch and kill Splash. Splash seemed to have none of these fears several times she dashed ahead of him and then waiting on top of a boulder for him to catch up. She seemed to take a peculiar delight in climbing on top of the boulders and then jumped off of them, attacking imaginary enemies as if training to be a warrior. It almost made Tigerstar sad; did she realize that even if she made it to StarClan, she would never be an apprentice, let alone a warrior?

He pushed such troublesome thoughts from his mind and continued forward, determined to keep the silver kit in his sights. He didn't want to snap at her again and make her sullen once more; he could do without that particular annoyance. Instead he stayed close on her tail, going around the boulders like she could, keeping her in his sights when she climbed up on the boulders. Finally, they neared the edge of the clearing, back where the forest returned, and where Tigerstar could finally relax.

**AN: Suggestions for anything exciting (besides the tests, I've got them planned) on their journey? Submit them while you're reviewing, and I'll take a look~**

**Moar votes on the poll would be loverly too~**


	10. C h a p t e r 8

**AN: For simplicity's sake, I'm going to use the words night, day, sleep, thirst, hunger etc. freely, but you guys know what they really mean. There is no real night or day, but the cats can still feel the time that would be night/day. They can't feel hunger or thirst but they can feel almost-thirst and almost-hunger. They can't sleep, but they can do the next closest thing. I'm tired of typing slow-state and almost-hunger and things. xD**

**Swiftflower, I find it amusing that we both thought of the same idea, or close to it– you'll see. ;)**

**C **_**h a p t e r**_** 8**

They entered the forest once more, and Tigerstar couldn't help but relax at the familiar scents. There were no prey scents, true, or cat scents, but the smell of the earth and leaves always made him feel a bit better.

It almost seemed to unnerve Splash, however; she returned to her odd quietness, and Tigerstar noticed she glanced around nervously often. It made sense; if what Tigerstar suspected was true, that there were few trees where she had lived before, and so being in a large forest must be unsettling for her, especially after her boulder playground.

Her mutterings in her sleep were more pronounced now, and it appeared that she found it difficult to stay in the sleep state for very long, sometimes "waking up" crying out for her mother. At this, Tigerstar felt a stirring of pity; he could not count the number of times he had cried out for his father, who had left the Clan when he was only a kit, for his two sisters, who had died before even opening their eyes, and later to his mother who died as well. He knew how it felt to lose someone close to you, although Splash was actually the one who had been lost.

He nudged her with one paw, and Splash blinked awake.

"I-I'm sorry," she whimpered, clearly thinking she was going to be punished. "I shouldn't have been so loud, I'm sorry, I didn't know I was saying things out loud…."

"It's fine," Tigerstar said, and sat down beside her. "What sort of stories did your mother tell you?"

"S-stories about my father, stuff about the other four Clans, old things like how cats got their claws and stuff," Splash said, blinking up at him nervously, clearly a little taken aback.

"I see," Tigerstar mused. "Did she ever tell you why Clans only have one medicine cat, not everyone?"

Splash shook her head, and Tigerstar smiled, although it didn't quite reach his amber eyes.

"I'll tell you," he said smoothly.

"When the Clans were first created, the leaders didn't quite know what to do. StarClan had told Thunderstar, Shadowstar, Windstar, and Riverstar (Skystar too, I suppose) that only one cat was to be their medicine cat for each Clan. The leaders did not think this was right, however.

"'Why should only one cat get that kind of power?' old Windstar snapped. 'That's not fair to the rest of our warriors!'" The other leaders agreed with him, except for wise Thunderstar (for SkyClan's stories, I assume it is Skystar who would not agree). But he said nothing and simply shook his head and allowed the other Clans to do as they wished.

"Windstar, Riverstar, Shadowstar, and Skystar all told their warriors that all warriors were equal, and that everyone could be a medicine cat if they wanted to. Soon every warrior knew all about herbs and the like. Soon the time came when trouble descended upon the forest. Each Clan took all of their cats to the Moonstone, and all of the warriors crowded into the little cavern. There was barely enough room to move! Cats were piled up on top of each other, all struggling to get to the Moonstone, some biting and clawing the others. Only a few had dreams, and since most of them were not true medicine cats, their dreams were lies. The warriors all told their leaders their dreams, and the leaders were very confused; every dream was different! The leaders tried to understand each dream but could not, and made many very wrong decisions."

Splash giggled. "Those other leaders are silly," she said, and giggled again at the very idea of ten or more cats piled up on top of each other, struggling towards a puny rock. Tigerstar nodded, and contined.

"Wise Thunderstar only smiled and took his one medicine cat to the Moonstone, where StarClan spoke to them both in peace. ThunderClan prospered.

"The Clans were all in terrible disarray. Every time someone was injured, fifty cats would be there struggling to help him or her, with all sorts of crazy remedies that did more harm that good, like standing out under a full moon dripping wet, or licking a certain type of bark and then eating a pound of scratchy leaves. The Clans were very troubled, but the leaders stood strong.

"'It isn't fair to the warriors,' old Windstar said again, but he looked very uncertain, as did the other leaders.

"Wise Thunderstar only smiled and watched as his one medicine cat tended neatly to every wound, snagged claw, cracked pad, and disease in the camp. ThunderClan prospered.

"And then, come newleaf, the other Clans realized a different problem. Since every warrior was a medicine cat…no one could have kits! The nurseries were barren and empty and even lovebirds had to be kept apart. This inspired much wailing in camp, as would-be mates attempted to tell their leader they wanted kits, only to be turned down. Much love-sickness insured, and the number of new apprentices simply dried up. Such scandals among the Clan! No one had seen anything like it, twenty female medicine cats in the nursery!

"Wise Thunderstar simply smiled and watched as his nursery filled up, while his one medicine cat upheld her vow with dignity. ThunderClan prospered.

"With so many females in the nursery now, at least the Moonstone was less crowded. The females were happy with their place in the nursery, and so gradually the leaders realized that maybe their idea of equality wasn't quite right. Windstar was the last to come around, but once he did, he realized his mistake and gave in. From that day forward, the Clans all agreed that there would be only one medicine cat at a time (plus the medicine cat apprentice) unless the medicine cat was very old and the Clan needed another to aid her.

"Wise Thunderstar nodded slowly, and watched the medicine cats in other Clans adapt to their duties, and the four – no, five I suppose – Clans prospered."

Tigerstar finished his story and looked down at Splash expectantly, but the little kit was already asleep. Tigerstar yawned and moved away from her, curling up near an old tree stump before he too fell asleep.


	11. C h a p t e r 9

**C **_**h a p t e r **_**9**

_For the first time since he had entered the Dark Forest, Tigerstar was dreaming._

_The spirit sat before him, changing from stars to darkness and back. _

"You have passed another test,"_ the spirit said._ "You showed compassion for the kit and her own sorrow, and attempted to ease it. Well done."

_Tigerstar's eyes widened. "Another test?" he growled. "How was I supposed to know that there was another test? No one told me this! Not even you!"_

_The spirit simply watched him. _"Sometimes in order to complete the tests, you will not be told what they are,"_ the spirit said. _"If I had told you you must show compassion, it would have been false compassion, only done so that you could pass the test. It would not have been real and thus you would have not passed."

_Tigerstar's eyes narrowed and he looked furious, but he took a long, calming breath. If he killed –or attempted to kill – the spirit, he might die himself, or worse be trapped here forever with no hope of ever leaving._

"_Fine," he growled, "but I'm no plaything you can mess with however you choose, understand?"_

_The spirit smiled. _"All cats are playthings of those higher than them,"_ it said, and there almost seemed to be a note of bitterness in its voice. The spirit faded away, _

and Tigerstar awoke.

He looked at Splash, who was awake and watching him.

"You were making weird noises," she said quietly, and peered at him. "Something wrong?"

"I…." Tigerstar trailed off. "I passed the second test," he said abruptly, and got to his paws. Splash's eyes widened.

"What? What was it? How did you do it?" she asked eagerly.

Tigerstar flicked his tail at her. "Never you mind," he growled. Splash frowned, thinking.

"It was for telling me the story!" she realized excitedly. "Because you were being _nice!_"

"I'm not making that mistake again, I assure you," Tigerstar rumbled, "so don't get used to it."

Splash nodded quickly but she still appeared to be oddly delighted. "This is all going to be easy!" she crowed. "Splashing around in glowy pools and telling stories! Easy!"

"If it is so easy, why hasn't anyone else done it?" Tigerstar hissed. Splash blinked up at him for a moment, and didn't seem to have an answer. Then, a smile split her muzzle.

"They _have!" _She mewed excitedly. "That's why we haven't seen anyone here, and no one comes back. They make it!"

Tigerstar rolled his eyes. "Your optimism is foolish," he growled. "If you were still alive, I would have advised your mother to stamp it out of you. No matter now, though, since you're dead," he said nastily. Splash's eyes welled up with hurt and she looked down at her paws sadly. Tigerstar took an evil sort of pleasure from her sorrow, and stalked away, knowing she would follow. She had no choice.

* * *

They continued through the shadowy forest. There was no sign of the spirit cat; Tigerstar idly wondered if the cat was always in the cave, waiting for other cats, or if he moved around. Was he waiting for them at the next test? Could he be in more than one place? And although Tigerstar couldn't place the gender exactly, something told him that the spirit was in fact a male. Had Tigerstar known him at some point? He wasn't quite sure, and it wasn't like he could ask Splash for help. From what he knew, the only cats in her life were Song and Hutch, and as far as he knew, neither of them were dead.

Near sunhigh, Tigerstar scented something strange in the motionless air.

"Wait a moment," he growled quietly to Splash. "Stay here, understand?"

Splash nodded nervously and Tigerstar took a step forward, following the scent. It wasn't a border sort of scent, the kind that a cat would leave on purpose; this was more of the scent of a cat simply going about his business. Tigerstar's eyes narrowed suspiciously as something came into view. An old badger's den? How long had it been since he had seen one of them? The scent led down there, however, and so Tigerstar peeked into the entrance.

"Hello?" he growled. A pair of bright eyes opened and stared at him. For a moment they were both frozen, until the other cat said,

"How may I help you?"

It wasn't sarcastic, or snarky, but rather open and warm. Taken aback, Tigerstar blinked, and stepped backward.

"It's okay, Splash," he called. "Just some crazy."

"I'd ask you not to call me that," the cat said, appearing in the entrance. He was a soft brown color, sort of sleek-looking, with warm amber-golden eyes. He gave them a quick nod, before coming all of the way out of his den.

"Who are you?" Splash asked, padding forward and sitting down. The cat smiled at them all warmly.

"My name is Otter," he said, and gave them an odd sort of bow. Tigerstar noted he had hard, dark black pads, just like Splash did; the mark of SkyClan.

Tigerstar peered at him suspiciously. He seemed almost nice, but that couldn't be right; he wouldn't be here if he was. He might just be being courteous – a cat could be polite and evil, if they wished – or he might be trying to catch them off-guard for some reason.

"Is this your territory?" Tigerstar asked bluntly. Otter blinked in surprise.

"Er, no," he said. "I don't think I marked it, now did I?" There was almost a cocky gleam in his eyes, and Tigerstar took an almost instant dislike to him.

"We'll just be going," Tigerstar said, rising to his paws.

"Eager to complete your other seven tests? I see," Otter said. Tigerstar's eyes flashed, and Otter smiled, seeming to realize he had struck a nerve with his information.

"How did you know?" Tigerstar growled.

Otter nodded in the direction of the river, although it was miles away. "You wouldn't be here if you'd only passed one test, or none," he said. "Some cats don't know it, but if you fail a test or simply avoid it and try to continue the journey, you die."

Tigerstar's eyes widened, and Splash let out a squeak. Otter yawned, as if trying to show it didn't bother him.

"I passed two, the cleansing one and the other one," he said, "but I stopped after that. I didn't want to throw away the rest of what remains of my life, for a stupid mistake I might make on the way. I've simply remained here. It isn't that bad. I've made peace with the end." He touched his chest as he spoke.

Tigerstar's eyebrows rose. "You passed two tests and you just gave up?"

Otter's eyes flashed coldly. "Don't judge me," he growled, and then the warmth returned. "Yes. As I said…I'll never make it to StarClan, surely, but at least I'll fade peacefully, eh? I'm just here to help others on their way. I'm no spirit or anything of the sort, but it can't hurt to help guide other souls on the journey I no longer wish to take."

Tigerstar blinked, feeling confused. This cat seemed oddly sincere, and it was clear that he was not of the darker breed the Dark Forest held. Had he been once, and had simply changed? Tigerstar had never heard of such a thing before.

A disturbing thought occurred to him. _Cats who don't find StarClan, or don't want to, fade away, _he thought. _So then…what of Otter? Will he meet the same fate as darker cats, such as Brokenstar? The same fate that those who don't even believe in StarClan ultimately find? Do they all go to the same place?_

Somehow, it didn't seem quite right.

"Wait," Splash was asking Otter, "you did the cleansing thing too?"

Otter nodded. "From what I've gathered, the first and final tests are the same for everyone. The first is cleansing."

"What's the second?"

"Selflessness," Otter said simply, "the most desirable trait a StarClan cat can have."

Tigerstar digested this information slowly. Selflessness? What did that entitle, exactly? He had shared mice and such with others before, did that count? Maybe he would have to catch a mouse and give it to Splash….That would certainly be interesting.

"Why don't you rest up and share my den tonight?" Otter asked with a smile. Splash glanced at Tigerstar pleadingly, but the dark tabby was shaking his head.

"We need to keep moving," he said, and gave Otter a nod. "Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome," Otter said cheerily. "Good luck, you two." With that, he turned and disappeared down into his den.

Tigerstar and Splash continued on their way.

**AN: Keep an eye out for Otter, he might appear in another story….**


	12. C h a p t e r 10

**C **_**h a p t e r **_**10**

Tigerstar yawned, lying down and tucking his large paws underneath his dark body. He blinked at Splash, who was bouncing around a bit, despite his warnings about saving energy. Suddenly, Splash pounced forwards, trapping Tigerstar's tail between her paws. Almost immediately she seemed to remember what had happened before, and she let go. Tigerstar batted her with one paw, knocking her over, but she was unhurt. Splash grinned at him.

"I think you should tell me another story," she purred, looking at him imploringly. Tigerstar raised an eyebrow.

"And why exactly would I wish to do that?"

"Well you passed a test last time, maybe you'll pass another," Splash reasoned. "Besides, it can't hurt. And maybe if you don't you'll fail the second test after all!"

Tigerstar's eyes narrowed. It sounded a bit crazy, but he wouldn't put anything past StarClan. He was sure they would take pleasure in failing him, no matter how strange it was. And besides, he was tired and didn't feel like walking, but not too tired as to want to go to sleep.

He shrugged his large shoulders, the muscles rippling underneath. "Fine."

Splash's face lit up, and it was clear she had not expected a story after all. She flopped on the ground in front of him with a big smile on her muzzle.

Tigerstar cleared his throat. "Have you ever heard the tale of why white cats with blue eyes are often deaf?" he asked. Splash shook her head eagerly, and Tigerstar nodded slowly.

"Once, many years ago when the four Clans were still new (although they had that medicine cat business all figured out) there was beautiful cat named Snowfall. Her bright white fur was only matched in beauty by her dazzling blue eyes. She was originally soft-spoken and modest, but as more and more toms became attracted to her because of her beauty, she grew vain. Every cat in all four Clans wanted to be her mate; in order to impress her, they sometimes did very stupid things and became injured. Snowfall did not care for them, however; she was only interesting in the compliments that she would receive. Sometimes she would keep up to five mates at a time with her, so that they would shower her with praise. 'As beautiful as the moon, as pure as new fallen snow,' they would often say. 'Brighter than the stars themselves'. Snowfall lapped up this praise faster than they could give it.

"Up in StarClan, the cats were not pleased. Endless compliments for Snowfall they could endure, but brighter than the stars themselves? Such a thing could not be allowed.

"One cat in StarClan, named Ferndapple, was prided for her beauty during life as well. She was chosen to return to life, but only for a short time, in hopes that her beauty would charm the toms as well and move them away from the vain Snowfall.

"For a time, it appeared to work; the toms were soon split evenly between the beautiful and kind Ferndapple, to the stunning and haughty Snowfall. Snowfall, however, did not take this intruder kindly. She had grown used to the praise, even began to _need _it in order to make her feel secure. No cat knew that Ferndapple was from StarClan – she went by a different name – and so Snowfall began to plot. Snowfall lured Ferndapple away from her admirers, and then killed her. Snowfall gloated over her body, boasted of how she would have all of her toms' love again. However, Ferndapple rose to her paws and her wounds healed, and Snowfall realized who she really was.

"Snowfall immediately apologized, but the damage was done. Ferndapple quivered with anger, and with the power of StarClan at her disposal, she laid a curse upon Snowfall.

"'From this day forward, you will be deaf,' Ferndapple said. 'You will no longer be able to hear what is dearest to you, your precious compliments. They shall fall upon your ears and be unheard. You will maintain your beauty but it will mean nothing to you. Your Clan will turn away from you and you will no longer be a true warrior.

"Still shaking with anger, Ferndapple continued. 'Your descendants will be cursed as well! Every white cat marked with your blue eyes will be forever deaf, as a punishment for your vanity!'

"And with that, Ferndapple disappeared, leaving a deaf Snowfall all alone.

"Snowfall had to return to her Clan in shame, Ferndapple's blood still on her claws. She managed to explain everything that had happened. Knowing he could not turn her away, deaf, when she would surely die, Thunderstar agreed that she could stay. However, being unable to hunt or fight, she was confined to the elder's den until she died. After her crime, few toms wanted anything to do with her, but even those that did complimented her in vain, for she could hear nothing.

"It is said she later repented, and ascended to StarClan with dignity, where her hearing was restored. However, every white cat with blue eyes that followed was cursed, and bore Ferndapple's curse. It has weakened over the years, and some cats who are white-furred and blue-eyed retain their hearing, but they are rare."

Tigerstar finished, expecting some sort of praise from Splash for his story-telling ability. However, she simply looked sad.

"You sure she made it to StarClan?" she asked, and Tigerstar nodded.

"But her descendants were punished, even though they didn't do anything," Splash said, frowning. "That isn't fair."

For some reason, Tigerstar felt irritated. "Life isn't fair," he retorted. Splash continued as if she hadn't heard him.

"And she made it to StarClan, even after killing a StarClan cat…but you and I are stuck here. What did I ever do? I never hurt anyone!" Her voice was almost a wail, and Tigerstar quickly put his tail to her lips.

"Hush," he said quietly. "We don't want anyone hearing your wailing." He removed his tail. Splash's eyes were round and sad.

"I never hurt anyone," she said again. Tigerstar shrugged, feeling vaguely uncomfortable. He had no answers for her on this subject.

"What about you?" Splash asked quietly. "Why are you here?"

Tigerstar didn't answer.

* * *

"I hope we find the third test soon," Tigerstar growled. "I'm tired of walking my paws off every day for nothing."

Splash trotted behind him. "I think it's an adventure," she said with a smile. "I always wanted an adventure. You know, while I was alive."

"Glad you got your wish," Tigerstar grunted. Splash copied him, letting out a little growl.

"You're such a grumpy fuzzball!" she exclaimed. "Can't you be happy? We're going to StarClan?"

"I'll be happy when we make it," Tigerstar said. Splash let out an exaggerated sigh.

"You're so boring," she grumbled. "Why don't you ever play? You played with me in the pool!"

"Because of that water," Tigerstar replied. "It didn't make me act…like I normally would."

"I wish you'd be that way all the time," Splash said softly, clearly not for Tigerstar to hear. But he did.

"If you want some happy-go-lucky cat to take you to StarClan, go find one," he said, turning on her with a hiss. "Go find some _other _cat to take you there! Guess what, Splash? _There aren't any! _Do you think I've made it this far by being happy and silly and playing around? No! If I had been like that, I would have been killed. And if I was dead, what about you? Flint would have killed you too, after he was finished using you!"

Splash shrank back, pressing herself against the ground. Then, her eyes flashed. "I don't need you!" she declared loudly. "I don't need you, Tigerstar! I don't need you bullying me and scaring me and pushing me around, commanding me and telling me what to do!" She turned, and padded away, but not before tossing a few last words over her shoulder, "and maybe you should be more playful, Tigerstar. If you hadn't noticed, that was how you passed those two first tests." And then, suddenly, she was gone.

Tigerstar's muzzle pulled back, exposing his sharp teeth. "Splash!" he yowled. "Get back here!" But Splash did not appear, and Tigerstar turned away, fuming.

_She'll come crawling back to me. She has no choice, _he thought, and laid down. _I've taken two tests for her; surely she realizes we have to be together?_

He felt slightly unnerved, knowing that Flint's old gang was probably still out there somewhere. Really, this scenario reminded him of when he had first lost Splash in the first place.

_It might be more than a coincidence, _he thought, and his pelt crawled with unease. He got to his paws, slowly, carefully. He didn't want to rush for the kit like a fool, but at the same time…the thought of her being injured because of his pride made him almost flinch.

"Splash?" he called into the forest, but received no answer. _She's probably hiding from me, angry with me, _he thought, but something didn't feel quite right.

"Splash?" he called again, taking a step forward and pricking his ears. Still no reply. His ears flattened slightly and he began moving quickly, following her scent as best as he could, losing it once or twice in the still air.

Other scents began mixing with it as well and fear rose in his chest – not for her, he told himself, but for the fact that if she died he would be stuck here forever – and he began moving more quickly.

The gentle sound of a flowing stream rose in his ears and he moved even more quickly now, stopping for an instant and crouching in the brush as the cats came into view. It was a band of toms –what else? – carrying the smell of Flint's band. They had Splash surrounded, and she was crouching, looking terrified; clearly she did not think Tigerstar would rescue her this time.

"Where's your protector?" one of the toms sneered. "Where's the cat that killed Flint?" The anger in his voice rose and he unsheathed his claws inches away from Splash's face. She let out a squeak of fear and shrank back.

"You're the reason he's dead," another tom hissed into Splash's ear, and she tried to shrink away from him, but that brought her closer to the tom that had spoken first.

She was trapped.


	13. C h a p t e r 11

**AN: Someone asked how I come up with Tigerstar's little stories. Honestly, I'm not sure. I always go to bed two hours before I actually fall asleep (darn bedtime – you'd think at nearly sixteen I wouldn't have one….) and so I have a lot of time on my hands. Normally I read but sometimes I pick out plot points and future scenes as things, and the stories kinda roll into place. Tigerstar has plenty to tell~**

**Did I mention we might see Snowfall again as well? ;)**

**C **_**h a p t e r **_**11**

Tigerstar hesitated; there were too many cats for him to take on alone. His eyes narrowed. Maybe, they would let her go…it was a foolish hope, but the only one that he had.

"You think you can swim well, eh?" one tom sneered, and bent to grab Splash. "Let's see how well you swim with us holding you under!"

Tigerstar stepped forward, letting out a rumbling growl. "Let her go."

"Tigerstar!" the tom exclaimed, and dropped Splash with surprise. "What are you….?" His eyes widened as something occurred to him. "It was you! That was your scent hanging around where they were killed!" The tom's face twisted into a snarl. "You'll pay for that."

"Fine," Tigerstar said coolly. "Let's fight then, you and me, one on one. Just let her go."

The toms all sneered. "No one's getting off that easily," one of the toms said. "Stain, hold her. We'll handle him."

A dark tabby placed his paw on Splash's tail, and nodded. "Rip him to shreds."

The toms let out a howl and charged forward, straight at Tigerstar. He tensed, his instincts telling him to run, but he would not; running was cowardly and weak. He was no coward. He would not be weak like they were.

He sprang forward to meet them, sinking his claws into one before turning on another, slashing him down the side before springing away. The other toms advanced, ignoring the two fallen, and sprang at Tigerstar. He disappeared under a mound of hissing, snarling cats. Tigerstar remained calm, striking out with his claws whenever he saw an opening. The pressure of their bodies crushed the air from his lungs, and their claws dug into him, through his fur to the flesh. They scored many hits and although he was fighting with every ounce of his power, he couldn't break through them, couldn't get out, couldn't beat them all.

"Run, Splash!" he yowled, knowing that getting away from the tom – Stain – was her only chance for survival. But even then, she wouldn't be able to make the tests on her own, and she would simply be here for the time that remained….

Then, there was a yowl above him – female –and for a moment he thought it was Splash, coming to rescue him.

"Get away, Splash!" he snarled, raking his claws down a large tom's muzzle, causing him to draw back in pain.

Suddenly the cat sitting on his chest was pulled off, spitting and hissing, and Tigerstar managed to get to his feet. He could feel the silvery fluid oozing out of his wounds, but none seemed to deep. He gritted his teeth and raked his claws down one cat's back, not having time to see what had distracted the other toms.

_I might run out of lifeforce before Splash does, at this rate, _he thought grimly.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a ginger streak heading towards him. He turned, tensing, but the cat flew over his head onto another tom and bit deep into his throat, sending silver liquid spurting out like a fountain. Tigerstar blinked in surprise, but there was no time to ask the ginger cat why it was helping.

He turned, searching for Splash. There she was, cowering under Stain's paw. He let out a roar and charged forward. Stain turned, hissing, lifting his paw to strike Tigerstar while at the same time letting Splash free. She scampered away. Tigerstar knocked Stain over, felt Stain's claws dig into his muzzle as he clawed Stain's stomach. And then suddenly everything flipped and Stain was on top of him, bearing down on him.

"Tigerstar!" he heard Splash yowl, and saw her spring forward out of the corner of his eye, landing with her claws in Stain's side. He turned and swatted her easily, sending her flying. She crumpled on the ground and did not move.

Tigerstar let out a roar of anger and streaked forward. His claws met Stain's throat, and he felt the tom's life pulse in his mouth. He hesitated for a moment, and then bit down, and the taste of life itself flooded his mouth.

He dropped Stain's corpse even as it began fading, and staggered towards Splash. But everything was going black, as silver liquid pulsed from him and he heard other cats fighting in the background…the sound began to fade, and his paws felt suddenly heavy, as if they were dragging on the ground…he couldn't hear anything, couldn't see anything besides Splash's still form…and even that was going dark….

Tigerstar collapsed, still trying to crawl forward, but he didn't have the strength. His eyes closed and his eyelids flickered for a moment, and then all was still.

* * *

Tigerstar blinked painfully, coming around slowly. Everything was hazy at first, but it began coming into focus, and he let out a hiss, seeing a ginger face peering down on him. Wide amber eyes blinked slowly, and the cat smiled.

"You'll be alright," she said. Her voice was breathy, gentle, and without a doubt feminine.

"S-Splash," Tigerstar croaked. His voice was broken, and his throat felt raw from his earlier roars in the heat of battle.

"She's fine, she's come around," the ginger cat said, and glanced over her shoulder. "She's sleeping now, to heal."

Tigerstar nodded slowly and sat up, wincing at the soreness in his muscles. How long had it been since he was in a real battle, not the pathetic excuse for the one in which he had fought Flint for Splash?

"Who are you?" Tigerstar growled, his eyes narrowed. "You helped us. Why?"

The ginger she-cat smiled at him. "To answer your second question, I have been sent to help you."

"By who?" Tigerstar demanded, getting to his paws, his fur bristling.

"That doesn't matter yet, you'll meet him soon enough," the she-cat said calmly. Something about her cool, almost lazy demeanor irked him. He stretched, testing himself. He felt sore, but his wounds were already closing; the lifeforce did that, still healing and helping even on its way out.

"What's your name?" Tigerstar asked again.

"Gingerstep," the ginger she-cat said. Tigerstar paused, allowing his mind to work for a moment, but the name meant nothing to him. She was not a cat he had known in life, at least.

"Thank you for your help, Gingerstep," he said quietly, and sat back down. "We appreciate it, but we no longer require it. We'll be moving again soon."

"I'm coming with you," Gingerstep said. Tigerstar's eyes narrowed. "You don't have a choice," Gingerstep said with a quiet laugh. "I've told you, I've got orders to follow."

"Why should we let you come?" Tigerstar growled. Gingerstep raised an eyebrow.

"No offense, but you don't exactly look fresh as a daisy," she said, "and without me, you and the kit would both be dead by now. There's more than just those rogues out here, you know, and you won't be able to kill them all yourself."

Tigerstar peered at her suddenly, realizing that her pelt was unmarked, and she seemed to almost shine with a youthful glow, although it was clear for the scars on her pelt and the look in her eyes that she was not, as she said, fresh as a daisy.

"Fine," Tigerstar grunted, resting his head on his paws. "But we're going to StarClan, not anywhere else, understand?"

Gingerstep smiled at him. "I wasn't planning to guide you anywhere else."

**AN: *pouts* I know TR has spoiled me; I keep expecting more reviews than I'm getting…can we pull up to fifty reviews so I can bring about the next chapter? Please?**

**Voting on the poll would be loverly too. 3**


	14. C h a p t e r 12

**AN: Wow, ten reviews overnight! I'm impressed. :D**

**You guys know I can't spoil anything for you, sillies. All I can say for you, Dreamspirit, is good observational skills. And "wait and see", of course. ;)**

**C **_**h a p t e r **_**12**

Tigerstar dozed off some time after that knowing that, for the moment, he and Splash were safe.

"Well done," _the spirit whispered to him as he dreamed. _"You showed courage today, fighting the toms even though you knew you could not win, to save Splash. Splash showed courage as well, struggling to help you."

"_Did I complete another test, then?" Tigerstar asked. "Am I ever going to know what they are again, before I do them?"_

_The spirit simply smiled at him._ "Tread carefully, Tigerstar," _he murmured, and then was gone._

Tigerstar awoke, feeling much more fresh and energized, although a little wary. Apparently Splash was feeling the same way – the energetic part, that is - for she was chattering on to Gingerstep now.

"You're awake," Gingerstep said, and it was clear from her somewhat pained smile that she was glad Splash would now have someone else to talk to.

Tigerstar simply grunted, and his eyes narrowed at Splash. "You shouldn't have attacked Stain," he growled. "It was reckless and foolish."

"It was the same thing you would have done when you were younger," Gingerstep said. Tigerstar turned to her, blinking. Gingerstep smiled. "Dark Forest cats can watch the living," she reminded him. "You should know that, from the stalking of your children and grandchildren."

"I didn't stalk them," Tigerstar said, his eyes narrowed. Gingerstep simply laughed. Splash glanced between the two of them, obviously puzzled.

"You had children?" she asked.

"He had five – four if you count the Clan ones," Gingerstep said. "From two different she-cats, no less—"

"That's enough," Tigerstar interrupted. Gingerstep had an amused smile on her muzzle, but she said nothing more.

* * *

Around sunhigh – the term was used only because it was familiar to the cats, of course; there was no sun in the Dark Forest, after all – the group set off again, padding down the bank. Gingerstep seemed perfectly at ease, padding along serenely. She knew the territory, it appeared. Tigerstar, however, was weary, his amber gaze constantly darting around as if expecting an attack any moment. That wasn't surprising, considering the events from before. Splash acted as if she was comfortable and happy, but there was a certain look in her eyes that suggested she was more ill at ease than she truly appeared. Tigerstar was grateful she was pretending; it made his job easier, not having to comfort her. Although now that there was a she-cat around, that job might not necessarily fall to him any longer, much to his relief.

Splash soon grew bored simply walking across the bank.

"Tell me a story," she begged Tigerstar. Tigerstar glanced at her.

"No," he said crossly. "I'm not in the mood for story-telling."

"Please?" Splash begged, batting his tail as they walked. Tigerstar twitched it out of her grasp and held it high so she couldn't quite reach it.

"No," he said again. Splash's blue eyes became downcast, and she blinked up at him pleadingly.

"_Please?"_

"I'll tell her one," Gingerstep offered. Tigerstar blinked at her.

"You?" he asked. Gingerstep narrowed her eyes.

"I was a warrior once too, you know," she retorted. "I grew up on stories." She frowned for a moment, clearly thinking. "Have you heard the tale of Duskheart?"

Splash shook her head, and blinked up at Gingerstep eagerly.

"It's like the tale of Snowfall," Tigerstar warned. Splash glanced at him.

"Is it?" she asked Gingerstep.

"Yes, in a way," Gingerstep replied thoughtfully. "Most of the old stories follow that sort of pattern though, I suppose. Do you still want to hear it?"

Splash hesitated, and then nodded. "Yes," she decided. "I do."

Gingerstep smiled, and then nodded. "Okay.

"Duskheart was a great warrior, perhaps the best in ThunderClan—"

"You were in ThunderClan?" Tigerstar interrupted. Gingerstep glanced at him, and nodded.

"I was, when I was alive," she said quietly. Tigerstar's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I never knew you," he said bluntly, "and I know you aren't new. How do you look so full of lifeforce, but you're so much older than me?"

"It doesn't matter," Gingerstep said, and there was a faint growl in her voice. "Back to the story."

"Duskheart was a great warrior, perhaps the best in ThunderClan, or even the entire forest. Back in those days, there were many tortoiseshell toms, and Duskheart was one of them. Somehow, tortoiseshell toms seemed to be even stronger, smarter, and faster than normal warriors. No one was sure how, but it seemed as if they were touched by StarClan themselves. Duskheart wanted to use this to his advantage, and he fathered many litters – all with different she-cats – to insure that more tortoiseshells would be born. He only cared for them, and selected his mates carefully so that there would be more tortoiseshells in every litter.

"Duskheart was a little arrogant, you see; he was a great fighter and hated to lose. StarClan took an interest in him, and they sent him a challenge; that he could not beat Lionclaw, the strongest warrior in all of StarClan. Duskheart accepted.

"Lionclaw came down to earth in all of his golden glory, and the two of them began to prepare for the greatest battle in the entire forest. All four Clans gathered to watch.

"When the cats struck each other, it sounded like thunder rumbling overhead. Their battle-cries were like the cries of the great ancient cats themselves, and as they fought every cat present knew they would never again see a battle like this in their lifetime.

"The battle raged on for days, neither Duskheart nor Lionclaw willing to back down. They tore at each other until they were both battered and bloody – or rather, Lionclaw was covered in silvery lifeforce."

"Wait," Tigerstar interrupted again. "That's not how my mother told it."

Gingerstep glanced at him, her amber eyes cold. "That is how my mother learned it from her mother," she said coolly. "Stories change over the years, I suppose, as do beliefs. Back then, everyone believed that StarClan was the flip side of here; it was the same forest in StarClan, only full of life and prey."

"Prey?" Splash asked eagerly, and Gingerstep nodded.

"All prey caught by honorable warriors goes to StarClan, to be caught again and provide for StarClan," Gingerstep said, and her voice had the ring of a story recited many a time. "Once they die in StarClan, their strength becomes StarClan's strength, and their life becomes StarClan's life, and they live on forever in the bodies of noble warriors."

"Cool," Splash breathed, and then blinked. "So did Duskheart win, or Lionclaw?" she demanded.

Gingerstep smiled, and continued. "Lionclaw paused only once during the battle, to get his breath. He asked Duskheart to halt his attack, and they could both take a short break. Duskheart agreed, and the two of them sat down on the ground, both breathing heavily. Meanwhile, Duskheart's mind was churning. There was no dishonor in losing to a StarClan cat, and especially not Lionclaw, he knew that. But the glory that could be had, the idea that he had beaten a StarClan cat was just too good to pass up. Duskheart made a decision, one that would shape the four Clans forever.

"He did the dishonorable thing and attacked Lionclaw while he was resting and offguard.

"Duskheart's teeth sank deep into Lionclaw's throat, and although the golden tabby struggled, he knew he was finished. Lionclaw faded away as his body returned to StarClan, and Duskheart let out a yowl of triumph. The four Clans, thinking that Lionclaw had signaled for them to begin fighting ahead and had simply been too slow for Duskheart, congratulated him warmly.

"In StarClan, however, it was a different story. Lionclaw was angry, but not very much so; he conceded that Duskheart might have won anyways. The rest of StarClan, however, was worried. How could a mortal cat beat a StarClan warrior? It was simply not right. It could not be allowed.

"It was then that StarClan made a decision; there would be no tortoiseshell toms. The ones that Duskheart followed would be the last great tortoiseshell toms; after that, they simply were not born, usually. Sometimes there were rare cases when tortoiseshell toms were born, but they were always weak and usually died early in their kithood.

"The four Clans despaired, thinking that StarClan had turned against them, by denying their strongest warriors. StarClan felt pity for them, and so adjusted their decision; sometimes, tortoiseshell toms would be born, healthy ones, and these toms would have all the power of the toms of old. They were extremely rare, however, and were thus prized.

"And that is why there are no tortoiseshell toms," Gingerstep finished. Splash nodded slowly.

"Were there any great tortoiseshell toms?" Splash asked. Gingerstep shrugged.

"Only one that I know of," she said, "his name was Redtail, and he was far after my time."

"How do you know about him, then?" Splash asked curiously.

"Some Dark Forest cats can watch life," Gingerstep said simply, and nodded to Tigerstar, "as your friend knows well." There was a glimmer in her eye.

_She knows, _Tigerstar thought. _She knows I killed Redtail._

Splash turned to Tigerstar, but he simply shook his head.

"Let us not speak of this anymore," he said, and there was a threat hidden in his voice, telling both of them that it was final.

**AN: These stories are becoming a regular thing, eh? I just have so many ideas, is all, and the opportunities for reoccurring characters are marvelous. 3 And it is a bit of a poke of fun at Redtail, the magnificent tortoiseshell tom who was not sickly, was very strong, and fathered at least one litter. Ah, you silly Erins….**

**For those who are curious, Duskheart was actually a character of mine, a black tom with ginger flecks on his mother, technically making him a tortoiseshell. I didn't realize the gender rule at the time, and he really was the father of three litters! No battle with StarClan or anything for him, though. ;)**

**If anyone's curious, I've also decided that, judging on the poll, most people are open to a different kind of story. However, several of you aren't, so a compromise: I'll work on two stories at one time, after this one. The Snowkit one, I think, and then the Pokemon one. I'll write the chapters at the same time and post them together so if you don't want to read the Pokemon one, you can read the Snowkit one, and if you want to read both, you can! How is that?**


	15. C h a p t e r 13

**AN: Who doesn't root for the bad guy, eh Rhavis?**

**Please don't be disrespectful, N/N. This is admittedly slower than TR, but that's because of where they are; there aren't many cats here that haven't already faded. And we don't have as many characters here to throw away. ;)**

**Sorry the updates are so slow, I don't get very much time nowadays to work.**

**C **_**h a p t e r **_**13**

Splash scowled at Tigerstar, but she didn't argue. The three of them continued walking along together.

_Three tests down, _Tigerstar thought, _so there are still six to go. I don't know the next five, but that last…selflessness….Hmm._

Knowing she wouldn't get any information out of Tigerstar today, Splash instead began bothering Gingerstep about her life.

"Did you have any sisters?" Splash asked. Gingerstep shook her head.

"Three brothers, though," Gingerstep offered. "All of them were rather rough, except for Emberkit. He was my favorite."

"Emberkit?" Splash echoed, and giggled. "Sounds like a girl's name."

"He was a tortoiseshell," Gingerstep said softly. Splash blinked in surprise. "It wasn't until he was a bit older that my parents realized their mistake, but it was too late. He wouldn't accept anything else. He was one of the sickly ones; he didn't even make it to two moons. He was a sweet, gentle kit, though, and I loved him. I hope to see him again someday."

The three of them were quiet for some time.

"Have you passed all of the tests?" Splash asked.

"All but one," Gingerstep replied.

"Is that why you're guiding us? To pass selflessness?" Splash asked quickly. Gingerstep smiled at her.

"You're smart," Gingerstep purred, and licked Splash's ear. Splash glowed with pride at the simple compliment. After that, she stayed so close to Gingerstep it was as if they had been glued together. Tigerstar wondered at this for a moment, and then realized that he had never been very complimentary to Splash, and after over half a moon being dead, she probably missed her kind mother very much. Tigerstar felt guilty for a moment, but pushed it away firmly. There was no time for such things.

* * *

They continued straight into the night, for once; Gingerstep was willing to carry Splash. Tigerstar did not approve, but if Splash had two-and-a-quarter moons to "live", then one-third of her time was already over, and they had completed three tests. It would be close, unless they hurried along.

They crossed the stream the next day, at a point where it was deep and swifter-moving, but much more narrow. They sprang from boulder to boulder, with Splash laying limp in Gingerstep's jaws. Eventually the two of them had to settle down to rest too, and so they did, under the shade of a large oak.

"You're going to have to tell her, you know," Gingerstep said quietly. Tigerstar glanced at her quickly,a dn then look away.

"Tell her what?"

Gingerstep's eyes narrowed. "You know what I mean," she said, and her voice had a slight growl to it. "Your past. Everything you've done. She's traveling with you now, and she's asked about it before. She deserves to know."

"There's no reason for her to know," Tigerstar growled. "It affects nothing."

"It affects if she wants to put her trust in you," Gingerstep said.

"All the more reason not to tell her."

* * *

Again, they were moving swiftly, as the forest gave way to open field once more. Again, Splash seemed heartened by this, and she and Gingerstep had several games of hide-and-seek as they walked together. Tigerstar seemed to be the only one that was keeping the north star in his sight, sometimes having to remind the she-cats that they were going the wrong way. He quickly became irritated by this, and snapped at Gingerstep when she chided him for not playing with Splash.

"We aren't supposed to be _playing!_" he hissed. "Playing wastes time and energy! Splash only has a short time before she fades, and what then? I'll be stuck here in Hell with every other damned cat until I die!"

Gingerstep's ears flattened with discomfort, but her eyes narrowed. "Don't speak to me like that," she snarled. "You may scare Splash, but you don't scare me. You care about the kit, I know you do. If she has such limited time, we might not make it there anyway. She should make fun of the time she has. And I've been there and back, I was here long before you. Don't think you can intimidate me, because it won't work. I've got powerful friends." With that, she turned away from him, and stalked away, her head held up high and proud. Tigerstar's lips peeled back, exposing his sharp fangs, but he said nothing. Splash glanced from Gingerstep to Tigerstar, as Gingerstep disappeared into the tall grass.

"Is she coming back?" Splash asked, padding towards Tigerstar.

Tigerstar shrugged. "I don't know." _I don't care, _he thought, but it wasn't entirely true.

* * *

Gingerstep did not return, and so Tigerstar and Splash continued their journey together as best they could. Splash had been used to being carried the last few days, and so she caused quite a fuss when Tigerstar refused to carry her.

"If you want to advertise your weakness, go ahead," he had growled, "but I want no part in that." Splash had, of course, sulked, and she was still sullen as she padded along behind him.

Tigerstar pushed both of them to their limits over the next few days; he wanted to make it to the next test, the sooner the better, only stopping after some time, to finally allow young Splash to rest. He found himself falling to sleep as well; he too was exhausted from their journey, although he would of course never admit it.

* * *

He blinked slowly, and yawned, stretching and feeling the muscles ripple over his pelt. Then, he paused, as memories washed over him. Something about a journey…a silver kit….

"Hurry up, Tigerpaw!" His friend's voice chased the memories out of his mind, and Tigerpaw shook his head to keep them away. Whitepaw smiled at him, his golden eyes glowing.

"You're going to be late," Whitepaw chirped, flicking his tail. "Thistleclaw's in a bad moon today. He won't be pleased with you slacking off!"

Tigerpaw yawned slowly. "Sorry," he said quietly, "I've just been having a long, weird dream, is all."

Whitepaw blinked at him curiously. "What was it about?"

Tigerpaw frowned, and again the memories were at the back of his mind. "I can't quite remember…something about a silver kit…."

"Tigerpaw!" Again, a voice interrupted his thoughts. Thistleclaw, Tigerpaw's new mentor, was stalking towards them, his pelt bristling with irritation.

"Don't just stand there!" Thistleclaw snapped. "Let's go! We're wasting daylight!"

Tigerpaw and Whitepaw glanced at one another. "See you later," Tigerpaw said quietly, and followed his mentor into the forest.

**AN: Arg, sorry this took so long. It's my 'special time' and I'm a bit cranky and lethargic now. I'm trying, honestly. D:**

**Oh noes! What's going on here? Has the entire journey been a dream?**

**For future reference, I don't care if you use any of my nursery stories in your stories, as long as you let me know you are doing so (preferably through private messaging) and then of course a little credit at the end of the chapter, in an AN or something. I'm flattered you guys like then, really.**


	16. C h a p t e r 14

**C **_**h a p t e r 14**_

Tigerpaw followed his mentor's dark gray body through the undergrowth. Suddenly, Thistleclaw turned and sprang at him, catching Tigerpaw by surprise. Tigerpaw fell backwards, and struggled under Thistleclaw's grip.

"Pathetic," Thistleclaw hissed, and let Tigerpaw up, continuing on as if nothing had happened at all. Tigerpaw followed him; he was used to these sorts of strange things from his mentor. Thistleclaw was unpredictable and cruel, ever since Snowfur had died.

They faced off once again in the clearing. Without warning, Thistleclaw sprang forward, but Tigerpaw was ready for him, as he flattened himself to the ground. Thistleclaw landed behind him but turned faster than Tigerpaw had expected, and Tigerpaw felt his mentor's claws prick his back.

"Expect everything your enemy can throw at you!" Thistleclaw growled, and padded away, turning back to face his apprentice. "Let's try again."

* * *

Tigerpaw trained until the sun had gone down. He returned to camp feeling battered, bruised, and exhausted.

"Just think of tomorrow," he whispered to himself as his stomach growled, to cheer himself up. "Think of how much better tomorrow will be. It has to be better than today." He ate his mouse alone and curled up once more in his nest.

* * *

He awoke again the next day, dreams of a silver kit buzzing briefly in his mind before quickly fading away. Tigerpaw sighed quietly, and then stretched slowly. He padded out of his den, and glanced around quickly.

"Hey," Lionpaw called, padding up to him. Tigerpaw nodded to Lionpaw coolly. He wasn't exactly fond of the golden apprentice, but he and Whitepaw were good friends, so Tigerpaw respected him.

"You're lucky," Lionpaw said cheerfully, "Thistleclaw is out with the dawn patrol. He won't be back for a bit. He wanted to take you, but Sunstar said you needed some rest."

Tigerpaw smiled. "I'm glad he did," he replied. "I'll probably just relax until he gets back."

Lionpaw nodded and padded away. Tigerpaw selected a small vole from the fresh-kill pile and ate it quickly. _What to do with the rest of my morning? _He wondered. Thistleclaw would be angry if he simply sat around waiting for his mentor to come back.

_I can check on the elders, _he decided, and got to his paws, heading for the elder den. Inside the den, several kits were gathered, listening to one of the elder's stories with great interest.

"Now, StarClan was not quite sure what should be done to Shadeclaw, for his crimes," one of the elders rasped. "He was a bad cat with no place in StarClan, and yet he was once a proud warrior, too good to simply fade. So, they created the Dark Forest, a terrible place where evil cats are doomed to dwell for all eternity. It is said that StarClan can enter the Dark Forest from a misty place, a mountain, but they risk becoming lost there forever. Shadeclaw was the first cat of the Dark Forest, and the first of many.

"However, StarClan was not completely pitiless. It is said that there is a way to get to StarClan, if a cat has changed during his or her time there. They must undergo a terrible journey and prove themselves along the way. If they pass all of the tests, they can make it to StarClan."

Tigerpaw's eyes widened suddenly, as the elder's words triggered something in his mind. Everything, all of his memories came rushing back.

_Splash! _He thought, and took a step backwards. _Where am I? _he wondered, glancing around at the camp that no longer quite seemed real. He could see Lionpaw sharing tongues with Bluefur, and his pelt prickled. _Bluestar and Lionheart, _he remembered with a shudder. _Am I really back in ThunderClan, like I was all those moons ago? Am I alive again? _The pain he had felt from his training session with Thistleclaw had felt real, certainly. Could it be…?

_I know how everything will happen! _He realized. _Tawnyspots will retire, and Bluefur will be deputy! I know all of the battles that will happen! I know who will win! I can mold ThunderClan once more, create the winning strategies…maybe even become deputy first, rather than Lionheart. I know not to mess with Scourge…this time, I know who my enemies are. I could truly take over the forest! _His amber eyes glowed, and he could almost see the possibilities laid out before him. _I could rule the forest!_

Then, something prickled in the back of his mind. He saw Splash's face, gentle and trusting.

_Tigerstar? _He heard her voice, although whether it was real or whether he was making it up, he couldn't be sure. _Tigerstar? Why did you leave me? Why did you doom me here? How can I make it to StarClan without you?_

Tigerpaw's ears flattened. He could take over the forest, yes. But what then? He would still kill cats, still crush others, still do all of the terrible things that had sent him to the Dark Forest in the first place. And then he would be in the Dark Forest again, alone, without even Splash for company.

And what was more important? Power, or StarClan? He wasn't sure. He closed his eyes, trying to think, to concentrate, to make sense of his dilemma. Then, he opened his eyes.

_I can't leave Splash, _he thought. _I can't let my ambition control me again. I can't live here. I have to find a way back._

"StarClan!" he shouted up at the sky. Cats turned towards him, but he didn't care. "StarClan! Spirit! Whoever is listening…I need to go back! I need to go back to the Dark Forest! Splash! Help!"

"Tigerpaw, are you alright?" Lionpaw called, coming towards him. But even as Tigerpaw turned towards the golden apprentice, he began to fade. The entire camp seemed to melt before his very eyes, fading to a strange white light….

* * *

"Tigerstar!" Splash's voice jolted him awake. Tigerstar looked around wildly, before taking a deep breath. He was back.

"Tigerstar, are you okay?" Splash asked. Her blue eyes were wide with fear. "Y-you kept muttering about things in your sleep, and then you sort of…stopped breathing, and began to fade away…I thought you were leaving me, Tigerstar!"

"I nearly did," Tigerstar said softly. "Something happened, Splash, I'm not exactly sure what. I was back there again, back with…." He trailed off and clamped his jaws shut, well aware of what he had almost revealed. He could never tell Splash of his past. How could she trust him after that? He needed her, to make it to StarClan.

Splash blinked at him, and then frowned. "You were back where?" she asked. Tigerstar shook his head. "Tell me," Splash pleaded. "You never tell me anything! You know all about me, but I don't know anything about you!"

Tigerstar shook his head again. "I can't."

"Why not?"

Tigerstar shook his head a third time, and glanced away. Splash sighed quietly.

"You won't leave me, will you?" she asked softly. Tigerstar turned and blinked at her slowly.

"No," he said after a short pause, "I won't. I promise."


	17. C h a p t e r 15

**AN: That's a very intriguing idea, WOAH or whatever your real name is. Thank you. I can only use bits of it, though. ;)**

**Yay, N/N approves of me again. xD **

**And yes, Ally, I was suddenly struck as I was writing it how alike the names were. I didn't plan it when I wrote TR (well, okay, Lion was planned, but White wasn't) and my fingers kept wanting to refer to White as a she-cat. xD**

**C **_**h a p t e r **_**15**

Tigerstar rested his head on his paws, watching Splash as she left. He sighed quietly. Ever since his dream – or was it a nightmare? - he had been unwilling to sleep again, to even close his eyes. He had nearly been lost.

But his body was tired and his mind was weary, and eventually his eyes drooped closed.

"Well done," _the spirit said, and it seemed that there was almost a purr in his voice. _"You've passed another test."

_Tigerstar's pelt bristled. "Am I ever going to be told when these tests come?" he hissed. "How can I prove myself when I don't understand what is going on? I don't even know what test I passed!"_

"Ambition," _the spirit replied, and Tigerstar blinked in surprise. _"You controlled your ambition this time, Tigerstar, rather than allowing it to control you as it did in life. You chose Splash over a grand new future for you and ThunderClan."

_Tigerstar was quiet for a moment. "Was it real?" he asked. "Was I really…back? Could I have changed everything?"_

"No one's future is set in stone," _the spirit replied. Tigerstar let out another hiss._

"_What does that mean?" he demanded._

"It means that you have choices. You always have choices," _the spirit said, and it seemed as if he was trying to convey more in his words. The spirit turned away, and it seemed the dream would end._

"The next test is truth," _the spirit said unexpectedly. _"And if you pass it, I will have answers for you."_ And with that, the spirit padded away, leaving Tigerstar alone with his troubled thoughts._

Tigerstar awoke, his pelt prickling. _Truth, _he thought, and with a sinking feeling he realized what he had to do. He had to tell Splash the truth…about everything.

He looked at her, still asleep, looking peaceful and innocent. He closed his eyes. _Can I destroy that? _He wondered. _Can I crush her innocence, her trust? Do I dare to?_

No, he didn't. He didn't want to tell her of the things he had done, the crimes he had committed, the dangerous choices he had made. But he knew he had no other choice, if Splash was to ever make it to StarClan.

_Why am I having trouble with this decision? _He growled to himself. _It should be simple, easy. I don't care about Splash, after all. No, I am simply worried that she might run away, and then I'll lose my way to StarClan. Yes, that has to be the reason for it. I care nothing for her._

_But then why did I give up everything to come back to her? _A voice wondered in his mind.

_I didn't come back for her, I came back to go to StarClan, _he thought.

_No, you didn't. You could have made the right choices during life, since you knew how everything turned out in the end. You could have stayed there, started over, forgotten all about Splash. And then when her time came, she would have gone to the Dark Forest without you, and been captured by Flint. She would have no hero to help her there, _the voice said.

_I'm no hero, _Tigerstar growled to himself, and glanced at the kit again. _Do I dare?_

_I have to._

* * *

Splash soon awoke, and the two of them continued their journey, entering the forest once more. Splash had taken the lead, following the north star intently, always glancing up every few seconds to make sure they were still going the correct way. She seemed to think she was the leader now, and she was taking her new job very seriously.

Tigerstar was watching her closely, deep in thought, warring with himself. He had to tell her his past to pass the next test, but how? She would just run away from him, call him a monster, a traitor, if she knew.

Finally, he had an idea, and a clever one at that. "Splash," he said when they paused to rest, "do you want to hear a story?"

Splash blinked and turned towards him. It was clear she was surprised that he had actually volunteered to tell her a story. "Of course!" she said with a grin. "Tell me!"

Tigerstar nodded. "A-alright," he said, surprised by the stammer in his voice. He sat down, flattening his prickling fur. "Once…once there was a cat named…er…Shadeclaw," he said, using the name that he had heard during his brief journey into the past; the first cat in the Dark Forest. "He was a ThunderClan cat."

Splash nodded eagerly, and Tigerstar sighed, plunging ahead in his tale. "When Shadeclaw was very young, his father left to become a kittypet," Tigerstar said softly. "Soon after, both of his sisters died. They were too weak to survive for very long. Shadeclaw – Shadekit – was then left without a father, and with no siblings. He only had his mother and his good friend, Whitekit." Tigerstar continued, warming to his tale. "He was a troublesome kit, eventually running off only to be saved from a badger by a ShadowClan patrol. Eventually he was an apprentice, trained by a cruel cat named Thistleclaw. Thistleclaw trained him to be vicious and merciless in battle. Shadepaw badly wounded his friend, Whitepaw, and nearly killed a kittypet on his mentor's orders. He eventually grew into a warrior, becoming Shadeclaw. However, he had a burning ambition that could not be quenched by being a warrior alone. He began to plot the downfall of the deputy, Redtail." Tigerstar blinked at Splash, anxious for her reaction. She simply flicked her tail, wanting for him to continue. "He had already mentored an apprentice, Darkpaw, who later became Darkstripe," Tigerstar continued, "so he could become deputy. During a RiverClan battle, he killed Redtail, and then framed RiverClan's deputy for the crime, so he would not be blamed. However, his plan was not flawless; his second apprentice, Ravenpaw, saw the entire incident. Ravenpaw was a coward and too afraid to tell anyone, but Shadeclaw knew Ravenpaw needed to be silenced, just in case. However, it was another cat, Lionheart, who became deputy.

"Another cat joined ThunderClan around the time of Redtail's…murder. His name was Rusty, but he later became Firepaw. Firepaw became friends with Ravenpaw, and Ravenpaw eventually told him everything. Firepaw tricked Shadeclaw and the rest of the Clan into thinking Ravenpaw was dead, but really Ravenpaw had fled. Firepaw eventually became a warrior. Lionheart was killed in a battle with ShadowClan. Again, ShadowClan helped Shadeclaw, this time to become deputy.

"Even being deputy and leader of the Clan in the future, Shadeclaw was not satisfied. He planned and plotted, allying with a group of rogues. When the rogues attacked camp, Shadeclaw cornered his leader, attempting to kill her. However, he was thwarted by Firepaw – Fireheart – and was exiled. Shadeclaw fled to ShadowClan, which was weak and in need of a leader. He gained his nine lives, and ruled ShadowClan, making it strong again.

"Still, he was not satisfied. He wanted the entire forest. ShadowClan and RiverClan merged, becoming TigerClan. WindClan and ThunderClan rebelled and joined together, becoming LionClan. Not wanting a war, Shadeclaw found a group of cats living in the city, BloodClan, and convinced their leader to ally with him, and destroy LionClan. However, at the moment of truth, BloodClan's leader turned on Shadeclaw – Shadestar – and slew him, thereby ending his tyrant rule. It wasn't until Shadestar died that he realized that BloodClan's leader was also the kittypet he had nearly killed as an apprentice, nursing his grudge and desire for revenge." Tigerstar blinked down on Splash.

"What kind of story was that?" Splash blurted, frowning. "Where was StarClan? Where was the moral?"

Tigerstar shrugged, and glanced away from her, unable to meet her piercing blue eyes.

"Darkstripe," Splash murmured, as if the name sounded familiar. "Redtail…a legendary tortoiseshell."

Tigerstar risked a glance at her, and saw that her blue eyes were gazing back at him with sudden understanding.

"It was you," she said quietly. "It was you, wasn't it? Not Shadeclaw…Tigerclaw. Tigerstar. You killed all of those cats!"

Tigerstar closed his eyes. "Yes."

"And when you went to sleep…you went back somehow…you would have done it all again!" Splash exclaimed.

"I would have done worse," Tigerstar replied, his eyes still closed, unable to look at her, fearful of what he might see. "I would have known all of the battles, all of the strategies. I would have known about Ravenpaw. I would have killed him, and Firepaw too. I would have never messed with BloodClan. I would have been invincible."

"But you came back?" Splash said, sounding uncertain. "You came back? Why?"

Tigerstar opened his eyes. "I would have ended up right back here," he said, "and we would have this journey again, wouldn't we? I might have started an endless cycle, if I had stayed. But I didn't. I chose to come back here. To you." He sighed quietly. "I was a monster. I see that, I admit that now. I killed good ThunderClan cats." He blinked at her anxiously. "I'm not the same anymore, Splash. I came back, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did," Splash said softly, but it sounded like she was trying to convince herself just as much as him. "Why?"

"I had to get to StarClan," Tigerstar said softly. "And I…couldn't just leave you here to fend for yourself."

Splash simply blinked at him, as if she wasn't sure she could believe him. Finally, she simply shook her head. "I don't know anymore," she said. "I thought you might have been like me, an accident. You saved me, remember? But you weren't like me. You were a killer."

Tigerstar nodded. He saw no point in disagreeing with what they both knew to be true. Splash sighed, and looked down at her paws. "I can't make it there without you," she said. "I'll only be killed along the way. So I guess we have to stick together, for now."

Tigerstar smiled at her, feeling relieved, but she didn't return his smile. And then, he realized that she was beginning to think of him how he had originally thought of her; as a tool to get to StarClan, and nothing more.

**AN: So, we've seen a bit of a softer side of Tigerstar this chapter, eh? So what happened to the jerk-face that we saw in TR? Hmmm….**


	18. C h a p t e r 16

**AN: Wow, the number of reviews has suddenly asploded! Good, because I missed having lots of them. I'm spoiled. xD**

**For Lakestorm Wright: It is a bit shaky, I suppose, but I do think Tigerstar realized that many of the cats he killed were good cats; Redtail was a good warrior from everything we saw/knew, and the other cats caught up in the struggle were probably good too; Tigerstar thought he was the best leader for ThunderClan, which meant he at least cared a bit for his Clan. And of course admitting things like that was part of the effort to make sure Splash wouldn't run off.**

**For Dreamspirit: To answer your first question about the kits, Stormkit was the only male in his litter (Silvermist's). Blackheart's litter had the opposite, with one female. And as for the second, all I can say is that we'll have to wait and see. Everything will be explained eventually~**

**C **_**h a p t e r**_** 16**

They continued along later in the day, both of them feeling uneasy. Something between them had changed, as if an invisible wall had been built. Tigerstar's pelt prickled, and he watched Splash anxiously, sure that she would suddenly bolt away from him, not wanting to be with a murderer any longer.

Tigerstar found himself wishing that Gingerstep was with them again, to alleviate some of the tension that was building up between them. But he had turned her away from him just as he had done to many cats in life, and like the others, she wouldn't be coming back.

They crossed a small stream, and this time Tigerstar tried to carry Splash over it, to make amends. However, instead she lashed out, nearly scratching his muzzle, and dove into the stream herself, swimming across with ease. Tigerstar followed, licking his whiskers to make sure they were all there.

They settled down for the night, and Tigerstar went to sleep quickly, eager to get away from the kit's piercing stare.

"Well done," _the spirit said softly._

"_Well done?" Tigerstar hissed. "She hates me now!"_

_The spirit looked indifferent. _"You passed the test," _he said, as if it was all that mattered. _"And she would have known your past in StarClan, someone would have told her. Don't you think it was better for her to know it now instead of later? From you, instead of someone else?"

_Tigerstar let out a low, angry growl. "Just tell me what the next test is," he demanded._

"I cannot," _the spirit replied. Tigerstar's eyes blazed and he found his claws unsheathed._

"_You said you would have answers for me!" he hissed._

"I did," _the spirit replied, _"but I did not say what they would be. These may not be the answers you seek. Come."

_Tigerstar's eyes narrowed, but he padded towards the spirit. The spirit put his mouth beside Tigerstar's ear, and whispered into his ear. Tigerstar blinked, feeling confused as to what the spirit was telling him; or more importantly, why?_

_The spirit whispered for several moments, and then drew back._

"_That didn't help me or Splash at all!" Tigerstar hissed._

"It will help in time," _the spirit said softly. _"Until then, I'd be careful. Without your ginger friend, things might be a bit more dangerous for you."

_Tigerstar's eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?" he growled. The spirit simply shrugged._

"You'll see," _the spirit said. _"Watch out for your next test."_ And with that, the spirit began to fade, leaving Tigerstar more puzzled than before._

Tigerstar shook his head as he woke up, letting out a quiet growl. What the spirit had told him was basically useless; it wouldn't matter as long as he made it to StarClan.

He glanced at Splash, who was still sleeping soundly. His eyes narrowed, as he watched her. Something wasn't quite right about her; something seemed to be a little strange, a little off. He blinked suddenly, as he realized what it was; something about her tail was different, a little faded, almost. Even as he watched, the hairs on the end of her tail seemed to blink, coming in and out of existence.

Splash was beginning to fade.

Tigerstar stood and nudged her gently. Immediately as she opened her eyes, her tail came back to normal.

"Were you dreaming?" he demanded. Splash blinked up at him, confused.

"No," she said. "I don't dream anymore."

Tigerstar peered into her blue eyes, and knew she was telling the truth. That meant only one thing; Splash's lifeforce was going out.

_How? _He demanded, searching his mind. They had been going for a moon and a quarter, at the longest. She should still have one entire moon, at the very least! Why was this happening now?

Splash blinked up at him, looking afraid. "What is it?" she asked.

"Nothing," Tigerstar almost replied, but he stopped himself. Hadn't he just passed the test of truth?

"You're…beginning to fade," he said softly. Splash's eyes widened, and she let out a yelp, looking down at herself, frantically, making sure she was still all there.

"It's just the tip of your tail now, but it will spread," Tigerstar said. "I don't know why it is happening so early, but it means we'll have to hurry."

Splash looked away from him, almost as if she was hiding something.

"What is it?" Tigerstar asked, a slight growl to his voice.

"I-I lied," Splash said quietly. "When we met, and you asked me how old I was? I lied. I was only three and a half moons, not four and a half. I added another moon to try and make it look like I was older…stronger…I thought the journey would be easy, and that we'd be in StarClan within a moon…then I was afraid to tell you, because I thought you'd be angry…."

Tigerstar felt no anger, only anxiety. They had far less time than he had thought, almost half a moon less. And in the Dark Forest, you needed all of the time you had.

"No time to waste, then," he said. "I'll have to carry you to conserve your energy."

Splash nodded listlessly; the knowledge that she had far less time to exist seemed to have shaken her. He picked her up by her scruff, and then broke into a run, moving swiftly through the forest. He had lifeforce to burn. Splash, on the other paw, did not. It was time for Tigerstar to put away the ideas of weakness and strength; this wasn't a matter of Splash being weak or strong. This was a matter of survival.

* * *

Another river came into view; too deep to cross safely with Splash in his jaws. Tigerstar began padding upstream, following the river, while Splash slept in his jaws. He kept the river in his sight, but stayed in the covered area, not wanting to be exposed in case other cats lived nearby. He didn't want to risk a fight, and have Splash be caught up in the middle of it.

Then, he saw them, on the opposite bank. A group of cats, both she-cats and toms, it appeared, peering into the river as if they were hoping to see a fish. He would have simply slipped into the woods and disappeared, but something distracted him.

There, in the middle of the ground, was a black cat with one white paw. He was speaking to a she-cat, and even from over the river, Tigerstar could hear his high-pitched voice, like splintering ice.

Scourge.

Tigerstar dropped Splash. She hit the ground with a slight thump, and let out a yelp, blinking up at Tigerstar.

"What is it?" she demanded.

"Be quiet," Tigerstar snapped, and Splash blinked, glanced around nervously.

"What is it?" she whispered again. She looked up at Tigerstar, and felt frightened; his eyes were blazing with fury, in a way she had never seen before.

"I'll be right back," he hissed, and stalked away towards the bank, leaving her cowering in the ferns.

The cats turned when they saw the lone tabby padding towards them. Tigerstar hesitated, and then spotted a row of stepping stones. They were slick from the spray of the river, and he wouldn't have risked it carrying Splash, but this was another matter entirely. A matter of revenge.

He began crossing the rocks, and still the cats did nothing. They seemed to be waiting for some sort of signal from their leader, but he wasn't even paying attention, still speaking with the she-cat, with his back to Tigerstar.

"You!" Tigerstar snarled. "Scourge! Do you remember me? I'm back, and this time you don't have your fancy claws to kill me!"

The other cats realized that their leader was in danger and they all tensed to spring, but they were too late. Just as Scourge began to turn towards Tigerstar, Tigerstar struck, springing forward with claws outstretched, landing on Scourge. The two of them rolled for several lengths, finally coming to rest with Tigerstar blinked down at the tom he had pinned, blinking down into a pair of bright amber eyes.

"W-What?" Tigerstar stammered. "You…you aren't Scourge!"

"Wait!" the tom yowled to his followers, who had been about to strike Tigerstar. They all took a few steps back, but looked ready to strike the moment their leader ordered them to.

"Who are you?" the tom hissed up at Tigerstar.

"Who are _you?_" Tigerstar demanded, his claws pricking the tom's shoulders.

"I'm Ruin," the tom hissed. "Scourge's son."

Tigerstar blinked in surprise. "Scourge's…son? But how did you get here?"

"I don't see it is any of your business, seeing as how you just tried to kill me," Ruin hissed.

Hatred blazed inside of Tigerstar, as Ruin spoke. His voice sounded exactly like his father's bringing back memories…memories of his murder….He wanted nothing more than to kill Ruin right now, in front of his followers, in revenge.

_The only ones that would miss him here are his followers, and if he made it here, he wasn't a good cat, _Tigerstar thought, and his claws dug into Ruin, making the small tom hiss in pain.

_He may be a bad cat, but he had no quarrel with you, _a voice said. _Killing him won't make you alive again, it will just get you killed; do you think the others will stand by and let you kill their leader? They'll kill you, and then what? Even if Splash could pass the tests herself, there's no way she would make it there in time. She's already fading…she needs you._

Tigerstar hesitated, and the moment seemed like an eternity, with Ruin's cold amber eyes gazing up at him. Finally, he took a step back, allowing Ruin to rise to his paws. Ruin eyed him coldly.

"I'll be leaving now," Tigerstar growled, and turned away. Ruin laughed quietly.

"Do you really think you're getting away, after treating me this way?" Ruin hissed. "I don't think so. You're not making it out of here alive."

He flicked his tail, and threw his head back, yowling, "Attack!"

Tigerstar tensed, his fur bristling, taking a step backward as a wall of cats advanced.


	19. C h a p t e r 17

**AN: By now, you guys should assume that **_**everything **_**is a test. Although, that'll make you a bit paranoid, eh? xD**

**Thank you, Ally, by the way. I fixed it. Don't be afraid to point out my mistakes, guys! I don't mind correcting them. :D**

**C **_**h a p t e r **_**17**

Tigerstar glanced behind him quickly, but it was no good. Several cats, sensing his intentions, had blocked the stepping stones, his only way back. And even as he watched, the wall of cats began to surround him. Even if no cat had been guarding the stones, it wouldn't have mattered; he would still have to fight through a mass of cats. He tensed, and unsheathed his claws.

"I don't want to do this," he hissed at them. "You'll die, you know that? I'm not going to hold back if you force me to fight."

"Better dying in battle then rotting here!" a she-cat snarled, and lunged forward. Tigerstar stepped to the side, avoiding her attack, and then sprang onto her back, his jaws puncturing her throat, before springing off and facing a tom that had sprang forward with the she-cat. Tigerstar clawed his throat and turned again, preparing to fight another cat, only to be knocked down by another attack from behind. Tigerstar disappeared under a mass of cats, and dimly he remembered the battle with Flint's gang. Only Gingerstep had saved him then, and she wasn't here now.

He would just have to fend for himself, then.

He felt a burst of strength fill him, and he rose up, throwing the cats on his back off. For a moment, he was on his paws, only to feel others trying to drag him down again. He spun around and slash a tabby's throat, before turning his claws on a tortoiseshell. Then, in the haze of battle, he saw Ruin watching, simply sitting there with a faint smile on his muzzle as his followers were being slain. Hatred rose up inside of Tigerstar.

"You!" he snarled, and then turned and savagely ripped open a young gray tom's throat with his fangs. Tigerstar turned back to Ruin and broke into a run; if he could make it to him and capture him, his followers would have to let him go free to protect their leader.

Sudden weight descended in his hindquarters, and he let out a hiss of pain as he collapsed on the ground, claws digging into his flesh. He struggled to get to his paws, to turn and slash his opponent, but it was a small, younger cat who was just out of reach. She hissed and bit into the back of his neck. She was only getting his scruff, but it was only a matter of time before she hit something vital.

Tigerstar turned, trying to flip onto his back, but suddenly the weight was relieved as the she-cat was pulled off. Tigerstar blinked at Gingerstep, who grinned at him.

"Taking care, I see?" Gingerstep asked. Tigerstar considered hissing a reply back, but it would waste precious time. He turned back to Ruin, trying to locate him, but he was gone. Tigerstar scoured the battlefield frantically, as Gingerstep hissed, fighting more cats. Then, Tigerstar felt a flash of anger as he spotted Ruin. The traitorous tom was fleeing the battle!

Tigerstar felt a battle cry rip from throat, as he charged forward, claws outstretched. He caught Ruin in the back once more, and again they tumbled. This time, Tigerstar's teeth met Ruin's throat. Ruin froze instantly; if Tigerstar bit down, it was all over, and Ruin could not escape anyway.

"Let me go," Ruin hissed.

"Shut up, traitorous scum," Tigerstar snarled, and then yowled, "Stop! I have your leader!"

Instantly, the other cats froze, leaving Gingerstep panting. Her ginger fur on her shoulders lay in clumps, and she was bleeding from a wound on her back leg, but she was otherwise unharmed.

Ruin thrashed in Tigerstar's jaws, but could not get free. Tigerstar put more pressure on Ruin's throat, and tested his life essence. Ruin let out a choking gasp.

"Stop!" he rasped.

"You will let us both go free," Tigerstar hissed. "You will not follow us."

"Yes, yes," Ruin said, and Tigerstar began dragging him towards the river.

"Stay where you are," Ruin ordered his followers, the cool in his voice shattered by panic. They hesitated, but obeyed.

"Come on," Tigerstar growled to Gingerstep, and she began limping towards the river.

"You can't possibly think they'll let us go," Gingerstep said quietly. "Just kill him and be done with it; knowing these cats, they'll begin fighting each other instead to see who will succeed him."

They had reached the riverbank, and Tigerstar hesitated. Killing Ruin was the obvious action, of course; he knew Gingerstep was right. These cats cared more about power than their leader; the only reason they weren't fighting Tigerstar now wasn't because of Ruin's orders, but because they were waiting to see what Tigerstar would do.

Hatred for Scourge flared up within him again, and Ruin let out a hiss of pain as Tigerstar's teeth dug deeper into his throat. Lifeforce flooded Tigerstar's mouth, and a hunger awoke in him…he was so tempted….

"No," he grunted, and dropped Ruin. Ruin thudded on the ground, and rasped, gasping for breath and rubbing his throat with one paw as if making sure he was truly alive.

_Killing him won't bring me back to life, _Tigerstar thought, _and his cats saw him flee the battle. They'll deal with him._

"Let's go," he said to Gingerstep, and they began padding over the river. Gingerstep moved hurriedly, sure that the other cats were about to attack.

"Get them!" they heard Ruin rasp, although neither Tigerstar nor Gingerstep turned; the slippery rocks demanded all of their attention.

"What are you waiting for?" Ruin hissed; apparently no cat had moved. "Hurry, before they get away!"

Still, nothing.

"I _order _you! Get them now!" Ruin yowled.

"You're through giving orders, coward," a deep voice rumbled. Tigerstar risked a glance over his shoulder. An immense gray tabby was padding up to Ruin, claws unsheathed.

"What?" Ruin hissed, and his amber eyes truly looked afraid now. He began struggled to get t his paws. "I control you, you idiot, you—"

His insult was cut short as with one swipe, the large tom slit Ruin's throat, spilling silver liquid onto the earth, disappearing as soon as it touched the ground. Ruin let out a gurgle, his eyes burning with hatred, but he was fading as his lifeforce disappeared. Before his amber eyes had even glazed over, he was gone. Then, the massive tabby turned his cold eyes on Tigerstar.

"Run!" Tigerstar barked at Gingerstep, and injured through she was, the ginger tabby broke into a run. Tigerstar dashed into the forest, scooping up Splash, who had gone to sleep again, and began running again. Tigerstar and Gingerstep ran side-by-side – they could hear the enemy cats thundering behind them – both of them panting heavily. Tigerstar's legs were fine, but his shoulder ached, and clearly the wound on her leg was deeper than it appeared, for Gingerstep began to falter.

"T-they're gaining," she panted. "I'm not going to make it, Tigerstar…I'll stop and hold them off as long as I can, just keep running."

"No," Tigerstar growled. "I'll carry you and Splash if I have to; you've saved both of our lives twice now."

Gingerstep simply turned and blinked at him, looking confused with her golden eyes. "Then we'll all three die," she said.

"Better than going to StarClan without one of our friends," Splash said softly in Tigerstar's jaws; she was oddly calm, even as the other cats were gaining on them. _Maybe she thinks it will be easier to go out quickly, rather than simply fading away, _Tigerstar thought. He had never wondered about such a thing before; somehow, the idea that he might die had never occurred to him, not really. He had always been so confident, always assured that he would succeed in all of his plans, in taking over the entire forest. Obviously in the end, he had been wrong, but even confronted with almost certain death, he had never believed it could truly _happen _to him.

"We're not leaving anyone behind, and we're going to make it to StarClan, understand?" Tigerstar growled, and began pushing himself to run faster. "Come on, Gingerstep!"

Then, there was a shout behind them.

"Stop! Stop!" they heard the large tom's deep voice rumble, and there was the sound of cats running into each other from behind them. They didn't dare risk a glance, however, for fear that some cats were still after them until the sound of the other cats had faded into the distance.

They collapsed on the ground, panting for breath.

"What was that about?" Splash asked. "Why did they stop?"

"There must have been a barrier," Gingerstep panted. "A test barrier; if you go through it without passing the right test, you die. They must have sensed it…I've heard you can only sense them if you haven't passed the right test, as sort of a warning."

Tigerstar blinked at her. "What does that mean, then? The last test we passed was a little while back, it couldn't be the same one."

Gingerstep smiled at him. "You didn't kill Ruin, did you? That was the last action you had before we passed through the barrier. What would that mean for you? Did you want to kill him?"

Tigerstar glanced at Splash. "I did," he confessed. "He was Scourge's son…Scourge is the one that killed me. I felt as if by killing him, I could get revenge…but I didn't. It wasn't practical, I admit…but I couldn't do it, even though he was a bad cat. It wouldn't be the same; he wasn't the cat I wanted to kill, and throwing another life away seemed…useless…."

Gingerstep smiled at him. "I'd say the test you passed was revenge, then, or something like it. It was a good thing you did, or you two would be dead."

Tigerstar nodded slowly. "What was your sixth test?" he asked. Gingerstep blinked at him, and then glanced away.

"I'm going to find some herbs for our wounds," she announced. "I was a medicine cat in life, you see."

Tigerstar blinked in surprise. "A medicine cat ended up here? How?"

Gingerstep's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing, simply padded away.

**AN: So, yesterday I found a game called Robot Unicorn Attack…I have been consumed by it. It combines beautiful rainbows with explosions and dolphins! If you don't know what that is you are leading a rainbow-deprived existence! Go Google it now!**

**HARMONY HARMONY OOOH LOOOOOVE~**


	20. C h a p t e r 18

**AN: For those that asked there is no TigerxGinger, as this chapter will show. Or, at least, not by Tiger. He's Golden's boi. 3**

**C **_**h a p t e r **_**18**

Gingerstep returned later with herbs for all of them. Most of their wounds had already healed themselves, thanks to the leaking lifeforce, but most of the herbs were more to soothe the pain than to actually tend to the wounds. Gingerstep pressed a pulp against the wound on her leg, and let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"How did you find us?" Tigerstar asked.

"I've been following you since I left," Gingerstep confessed. "I knew you two still needed me to keep up at trouble, but I also knew my pride wouldn't let me come back, unless you were in a scrape. And you certainly were." Her golden eyes twinkled at Tigerstar.

"I could have handled it," Tigerstar growled, and Gingerstep simply snorted.

"_Right,"_ she replied, and then yawned. She licked the pulp on her leg again, and then rested her paws on her head. Within moments, she was asleep. Tigerstar followed her suit, allowing himself to relax. They were safe now, for the moment.

"Again, well done," _the spirit purred in his dreams. _"The progress you three are making is quite remarkable."

_Tigerstar's eyes narrowed. "Just tell me the next test already," he growled. "I'm tired of your riddles and your useless help."_

"Patience," _the spirit replied, and then chuckled softly. _"That's not the next test, before you ask, but some patience could sure do you some good. I'll tell you the next test; just relax for now, enjoy the moment."

"_Enjoy the moment?" Tigerstar asked incredulously. "How can I enjoy being here? How can I enjoy watching Splash fade?"_

"Treasure your time with her," _the spirit said ominously, _"it might be gone sooner than you think."_ He got to his paws, as if to leave._

"_Wait!" Tigerstar said. "What's the next test?"_

_The dream had already begun to fade around him, and as the spirit disappeared, he said something, the last word of which Tigerstar caught,_

"Love."

Tigerstar awoke, blinking slowly. He glanced at Splash, and then at Gingerstep. Love? Love had forsaken him here. His love, Goldenflower, was dead and gone, doubtlessly in StarClan, where she belonged. Love? There was no room in his shrunken heart for love.

He blinked at Gingerstep as she slept. She wasn't beautiful, exactly, but pretty in a fiery sort of way. He supposed she could be lovable, but not to a cat such as him. If he had to fall in love with her to pass this test, he and Splash would perish here.

He sighed quietly, and rested his head on his paws again.

"Is something wrong?" Splash whispered, and Tigerstar blinked in surprise.

"I thought you were asleep," he said quietly, so as to not wake Gingerstep.

"I was," Splash said, "but I woke up a little while ago and just sort of stayed that way, kind of enjoying it…I'm tired all the time now." Her eyes were worried, but it appeared that she was just as concerned for him as for herself.

"I'm a bit…troubled, I suppose," Tigerstar said finally. "Troubled about the future, the tests."

Splash nodded in understanding. "I'm sure you'll make it," she said. "I trust you, Tigerstar. You'll see us all through to the end. We'll make it to StarClan." She yawned and closed her eyes, and for a moment, Tigerstar thought she had gone back to sleep. Then, she opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"You've told me stories," she said quietly, "can I tell you some?"

Tigerstar was surprised, but then nodded. "Go ahead."

Splash smiled wider. "I'll tell you my favorite," she whispered, and moved so that she was closer to his ear.

"Once upon a time, soon after the first Clans were created, there were two cats, Sun and Moon. Their warrior names have been lost to history, but the first parts of their names will always be remembered.

"Sun was a magnificent golden tabby, with giant paws and a fierce nature. He was often praised as looking like a lion, and like a lion he was courageous and kind. However, he was very prideful and somewhat stuck-up from all the praise his strength and handsomeness received. However, under all of that fur and pride was the heart of a true warrior.

"Moon was the exact opposite; she was a silver tabby with big blue eyes and a gentle smile. Moon was very quiet and shy and peaceful, never getting into fights with other cats. She had wanted to be a medicine cat when she was young, but both the medicine cat and apprentice positions were already filled, and so she went down the hard path of a warrior. And in time, she realized it was a good thing, for she had fallen madly in love with Sun.

"However, Moon was too shy to bring herself to speak to him, let alone tell him of her love, and for a long time she simply watched him from afar, dreaming of the time that he would finally be hers.

"Sun was in love as well, with none other than Moon. However, he was a bit afraid to tell her so; Moon always acted shy and quiet when they were together on patrols and things, and he was afraid she would not love him back. Sun was brave in battle, and ferocious when defending his Clan, but when it came to matters of the heart, he was a bit of a coward.

"One day, Moon decided that she was going to have to tell him, to find out whether he loved her once and for all. She invited him out on a patrol, just the two of them, to hunt for the Clan. Sun accepted quickly, eager to know if Moon did love him after all. And so, the two of them went.

"Both of them caught plenty of prey, and they knew when they returned to camp, they would be praised. However, neither was eager to return, for both felt that if they did not tell the other about their feelings, the opportunity would be lost. And so Moon faced Sun and Sun faced Moon, and both struggled inwardly to summon up the courage to speak.

"And then, there was a terrible noise, as a badger seemed to erupt out of the ground. Moon and Sun had been near its den where its pups were sleeping peacefully. It was a mother badger simply protecting her pups, but the warriors of course didn't see it this way. Immediately, Sun launched himself into battle. Moon found herself frozen by fear; she had seen Sun in battle before, but that was against other Clans, not the incredibly powerful badger. She was terrified that she might see her love killed before her very eyes.

"Sun seemed to have the upper paw at first, but the cries of her pups waking up gave the mother badger more strength. She let out a mighty roar and threw Sun with one paw. He hit the ground and struggled to get up, mainly unhurt but with the wind knocked out of him.

"Somehow, Moon found her courage, and sprang forward at the badger's face to distract it while Sun regained his strength. The badger was enraged at finding another opponent, and so this time when she struck Moon, it was twice as hard as she had hit Sun. Moon flew into a tree with a loud thump, and fell to the ground. She did not move again.

"Sun let out a terrible cry, believing Moon to be dead. He sprang at the badger, and StarClan seemed to lend him their strength, for he succeeded in chasing the mother badger away. Sun then ran to his fallen beloved's side, and kneeled beside her. Moon was still alive, but she could hear the voices of StarClan whispering to her, and she knew she was dying. Finally, she had the courage within her to tell Sun of her love. And, even as Moon was dying, Sun confessed his love for her and curled up around her, warming her with his body up until her last moment of life.

"Sun brought Moon's body back, and stood vigil with her alone. He was there when the elders buried her and said the ceremony. However, when she was gone, Sun found that he had no reason to live. His heart ached for what he had lost by being a coward, and he blamed himself for her death, thinking that if he had only fought harder, he could have won before Moon had to interfere. Sun lost the will to eat, or drink, or sleep, or even to move. He slowly wasted away, and finally died, leaving his Clan to grieve for him and the gentle Moon.

"StarClan watched the pitiful couple's sad story, and then made a decision. During Sun and Moon's lives, the sun and the moon existed together in the same sky, side by side. There was no such thing as night, and day was all the time. There were no such things as Gatherings, for there was no full moon. The sun and the moon had little meaning for the cats; they were simply there, all the time, hanging motionless.

"And so, StarClan made a decision. They put Moon's spirit into the moon, and Sun's spirit into the sun, and from that day forward, the moon and sun began to move. Sun raced across the heavens with his wild, free energy. Moon tried to follow him, but could never catch up, and so their eternal dance began, with Moon always trailing after Sun. Sun would glow over the Clans in the day, reminded them to be brave and strong, while Moon would shine during the night, reminding the Clans of gentleness and peace, especially during Gatherings. Sometimes, Sun would pause and allow Moon to catch up to him, during an eclipse, and for a few sweet moments they would rejoice in their eternal lives together. But then playful Sun would start the game again, and so their dance continued, until the end of time."

Splash finished speaking, and smiled at him brightly, sure that her story would cheer him up. It had pleased him, for Splash was a good storyteller after all, but a drop of sadness remained in his heart; Sun and Moon's story reminded him too closely of his story with Goldenflower.

"You're a good storyteller," Tigerstar said softly, and from the way Splash's silver face lit up, you would have thought she was the moon itself. Tigerstar then realized what he hadn't seen before; Splash _idolized _him. Even with his faults, she still thought the world of him; she hung onto his every word or phrase, and even the slightest admonishment would plunge her into depression. And now, it seemed that the slightest praise would make her glow with joy.

"Want to hear another?" Splash asked eagerly. "It's my…second favorite."

Tigerstar yawned, and then smiled at her. "Sure."

Splash took a deep breath. "Once upon a time, there was a mother. Her name has been lost to history, but her story lives on in SkyClan. The mother had recently weaned her first litter of kits; she loved each and every one of them more than any mother had ever before. However, she was glad that she could stretch her legs and help her Clan once more, and so she went on a hunting patrol. During the patrol, she tried to fish, but ended up falling into the river. It was leaf-bare and very cold, and she was lucky that one of her patrol mates was able to save her. The patrol rushed her to the medicine cat, who tended to her as best as he could. However, she caught a chill, and soon began to cough. She refused to go to the nursery, for fear that it would spread to her fragile kits, and instead confined herself to the medicine cat den, to protect her Clan. Her chill grew into a cold, and then whitecough, and continued to get worse until finally she had greencough. Her kits begged to see her, for they wanted to see their beautiful, warm mother again, but she refused, not wanting for them to get sick. She promised that she would be back with them as soon as she was better, although she suspected she would not make it, but would die.

"She was correct; within several days after getting greencough, she died. However, she simply refused to go to StarClan. StarClan begged, pleaded, and even ordered her to move on, but she did not. Of course StarClan couldn't use force to move her on to the afterlife, but she couldn't go to the Dark Forest, either. And, they couldn't simply allow her to stay alive when her time was up.

"She begged and pleaded with them in return, saying that she simply could not leave her precious kits. And so they made a compromise, and creating the North Star, the brightest star – besides the sun – of all. There the mother's soul went, and she stayed there in the sky, never moving and never wavering until all but one of her kits made it to StarClan. That final kit grew up to be a tough and fierce warrior, who eventually turned on his Clan, nearly destroying the forest. He was sent to the Dark Forest as punishment for his terrible crimes.

"However, the mother could not simply leave her kit to rot there, and so she stayed as the North Star, acting as a beacon to lead him home to StarClan. She declared that she would wait there until the end of time, until her son came to StarClan. And so she has remained there throughout the ages, guiding cats both in life and death to StarClan."

As Splash finished, Tigerstar blinked in surprise.

"I don't believe I've ever heard that story before," he confessed. Splash seemed surprised.

"Really?" she asked. "Song told it to me almost every night, that one and the Sun and Moon one. They were my favorites because they were her favorites, too…." Splash trailed off and seemed oddly saddened; Tigerstar realized that just as the first story reminded him of Goldenflower, the second reminded Splash of her mother.

Tigerstar hesitated, and then put his tail over Splash's shoulder. "I'm sure she's waiting for you," he said quietly, "more eagerly than the North star."


	21. C h a p t e r 19

**AN: Tiggy isn't such a demon after all, eh? And I'm really fond of those two stories for some reason…I'm a sap for love, I guess. And I'm glad I helped you out there, N/N. :D**

**TigerxSplash? Eww, ewe w. Ew ew **_**ew. **_**First off, Dustpelt was a new warrior when Ferncloud was an apprentice; at the least, they were separated by six moons in age, and at the most they were separated by about a year. Since cats can live seven or eight years and still be in their prime, a year or so doesn't make much of a difference. Second, Tigerstar is almost as old as Bluestar when he **_**died, **_**and she was always known as an older cat. Now he's been in the Dark Forest for several years at the least (since roughly this story takes place somewhere after The Power of Three) so if he was still alive, he'd probably be around elder status. Third, Splash is **_**three and a half moons old. **_**That would be like a forty year old man dating an eight year old girl. He was leader before she was even **_**conceived. Ewww.**_

**But thanks for the complimant, NeonTigerValentine. xD**

**C **_**h a p t e r **_**19**

Tigerstar watched Splash as she slept, her sides rising and falling much faster than Gingerstep's. Even as he watched, her tail seemed to almost flicker, as it had ever since he had first noticed it. The fading had spread nearly to the base of her tail now, and it was all Tigerstar could do to stop himself from waking her up, to make the fading stop. But, that wouldn't do any good, and she wasn't in any real danger, yet. There were only three tests left, after all.

_Love, _he reminded himself, glancing at Gingerstep. He had to find out how to beat that test. He yawned, resting his dark, broad head on his large paws. He could feel the weariness rising up within him, and knew that he too would soon drift off. Idly, he thought about Splash's stories. She really was a good storyteller; her eyes lit up as if with wonder when she spoke, and the movements of her paws and tail, as if she was trying to shape her story with them, were somehow endearing.

Love had been the theme of Splash's two favorite stories, Tigerstar reflected. The first had been about the courage of confessing your love, and the second had been about how love was not confined to simply your mate, but to your kits as well.

And then, suddenly, Tigerstar realized what the test was about. Love wasn't just for mates – his love for Goldenflower didn't mean he couldn't love anyone else. Cats were also supposed to love their kits, as the cat of the North star did.

Then, Tigerstar sighed quietly. He didn't love any of his kits, truly. Brambleclaw had been a disappointment, Mothwing was pathetic, Hawkfrost had ultimately failed in his missions, Tawnypelt had refused to join him, or to even allow him into her dreams after he had died. All of his kits had been disappointments, and although Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt had been Goldenflower's kits, he truly felt no love for them. They had both turned away from him.

So who, then? He did not love his own kits and he could not love Gingerstep. Who else was there for him to love? He thought of Splash's story for a moment, and then his gaze slid to the silver kit, still fast asleep. His pelt prickled slightly as he watched her, a strange sort of glowing feeling in his chest. He shook himself, and then closed his eyes, falling asleep quickly.

* * *

They continued moving along the next day, although Gingerstep was oddly quiet. She still walked with a slight limp, but it appeared that her leg had healed, for the most part. Splash chattered away, while Tigerstar tuned out; by the end of the day, he couldn't honestly have told Splash whether she had been talking to him or to Gingerstep the entire time.

Instead of settling down for the night, they decided to keep going, and carry Splash. Tigerstar offered to carry her, much to both she-cats' surprise.

Gingerstep and Tigerstar padded along in silence together. Tigerstar thought he saw something on the horizon, and he frowned, feeling rather confused. It looked almost as if a giant lump was on the horizon, or maybe a large spike. He decide that once they were closer, he would see what it was, but they walked for hours and it didn't seem to get very much bigger.

"What is that?" he asked Gingerstep finally.

"The mountain," she replied, as if that explained everything. Tigerstar waited for her to elaborate, but she did not.

"What mountain?" he growled, feeling irritated. For all that he had changed, he still had a short temper. Gingerstep simply blinked at him.

"_The _mountain," she said. "The one that StarClan is on top of. At the peak, there is mist, and the north star hovers directly above it. You can't go into the mist unless you've completed all of the tests, or you die."

Tigerstar blinked at the smudge on the horizon, suddenly feeling very small. "It must be small, to be so tiny looking at so close a distance," he said. Again, Gingerstep looked amazing.

"It's _huge," _she said. "That's the only reason we can even see it from here. We've still got several days before we even reach the foot of the mountain, let alone _climb _it."

Tigerstar blinked in surprise, and Splash shifted slightly in his mouth, reminding him of his urgency. He felt an odd tug at his heart at the thought that she might very well fade before they reached the mountain.

_I'm only concerned because it would mean I'd be stuck here too, _he told himself, but even he didn't believe that.

* * *

They settled down for the night, and then walked all through the next day, before stopping sometime around early evening to rest a short time.

Tigerstar watched Splash closely, with a sinking feeling; her entire tail was beginning to disappear even when she was awake now, although according to Splash she could still move it around and feel it; it was simply as if it was invisible. Eventually her entire body would go "invisible" and then it would simply disappear, and it would be as if she had never existed. The only remaining bit of her would be in their memories. Tigerstar closed his eyes, unable to watch her tail fade and reappear as she moved it. The very idea of Splash disappearing…it caused him pain.

_Why? _He demanded himself, feeling suddenly curious. _Yes, she is my ticket to StarClan, but why else should I care? Why do I feel like I do? I shouldn't care about her at all! I should have made this journey long ago, alone. Or better yet, I should have taken my second chance at life! But I chose to stay with her…why?_

He couldn't seem to puzzle it out, to understand it; it was a strange mystery to him. Finally, he sighed quietly and glanced at Gingerstep. She was a she-cat; perhaps she would know the truth of it.

He waited until Splash was asleep, and Gingerstep was nodding off, before he stood and sat beside the ginger she-cat. She blinked, coming awake suddenly.

"Yes?" she asked quietly, staring at him with her gentle golden eyes.

"I…I need your help," Tigerstar said, uncurling his pride to ask. He had never liked asking for help, especially after Scourge; if he had never came to the black tom for help, he might still be alive, after all.

"Yes?"

"I've been feeling a bit…off," Tigerstar said slowly.

"Do you think you're beginning to fade?" Gingerstep asked anxiously.

"No, not like that," Tigerstar said quickly. "It's a bit of a…glow…whenever I look at her."

"Her who?" Gingerstep said, and it seemed as if her voice was strangely soft, as she gazed at him.

"Splash," Tigerstar said. Abruptly, Gingerstep's golden eyes seemed to grow cold.

"Splash?" she echoed, her voice oddly toneless.

"Yes," Tigerstar said, taking no notice of her sudden change in emotion. "I'm not sure why, exactly, but I feel…protective of her. It's natural, since I can't get to StarClan without her, but the very idea of her being hurt or fading…it makes me feel…." He trailed off again, and shook his broad head.

"You love her," Gingerstep said, and again her voice was soft. Tigerstar looked up sharply.

"What?" he growled. "Goldenflower—"

"Not that kind, you furball," Gingerstep said, and flicked his nose with her tail. "She can't be your mate or anything like that, no. You love her like a father would. You're protective of her, you care about her…I should have been able to see it, there are signs. She adores you, you know."

Tigerstar nodded slowly. "I…know," he said. "What should I do?"

Gingerstep simply blinked at him, and laughed quietly. "Whatever your heart tells you," she said simply. "You're the only father she has right now. She's depending on you, just remember that." And with that, Gingerstep yawned and closed her eyes, and Tigerstar could tell from her breathing that she was asleep. Troubled, he moved back to where he had been, resting his head on his paws, feeling confused and worried. He _loved _Splash? How had this happened? He hadn't meant for it to happen, he had tried to stamp out those weak feelings…and yet, somehow it had.


	22. C h a p t e r 20

**AN:**

**Now, about Sasha: I've never read the manga. And, honestly, I hate all of the books after about Firestar's Quest. Things got a little ridiculous after that. So, I'm simply not going to mention Sasha; people often say that he and Golden don't appear often together, but you have to remember that it is from Firestar's POV that we see the first series; thus, we only see Tigerstar when Firestar sees him. Tiggy and Golden might have been very close, we simply don't know because we're focused on Firestar. As for Tadpole, I don't think he even made it to the Dark Forest. Splash made it because her father was a Clan cat at the time of her birth, and she had Clan blood on her mother's side as well. Sasha, on the other paw, was a kittypet/loner, and was never a part of ShadowClan, not even when the kits were conceived. Tiggy might have loved Sasha in canon, I don't know, but considering that she ran off on him, I don't think he'd feel very warmly towards her in death. Plus, she was a kittypet, and considering how much he despised them, I don't think their love was "meant to be."**

**C **_**h a p t e r **_**20**

They began padding along again early the next morning. Gingerstep did not speak, and Splash was asleep once more, leaving Tigerstar to his thoughts, which he did not mind.

_You love her like a father would, _he heard in his mind. _You care about her, you're protective of her…she adores you, you know._

_It's true, _Tigerstar reflected, _her staying with me even after knowing who I was, how I treated her at first…she does adore me, for whatever reason. Perhaps because she didn't have much of a father…this "Shortwhisker" character sounds iffy at the very least. _

As they padded along, Tigerstar soon noticed a strange, prickling feeling under his pelt, as if ants were crawling around in his fur. He twitched his shoulders, trying to get rid of the feeling, but it wouldn't go away. Splash seemed to notice it too, for she started squirming around in his jaws, finally, blinking awake.

"What is that?" she asked, wriggling again. "Its…." She trailed off, unable to find the words. Tigerstar knew how she felt; it was like itching, but under the skin, and at the same time it felt terribly wrong. All he wanted was for it to stop.

Gingerstep blinked at them with concern. "What is it?" she asked. Tigerstar sat Splash down, and began scratching up against a nearby tree. It did nothing to quench the strange feeling.

"Oh," Gingerstep said. "There must be a barrier up ahead, I suppose. You haven't finished the test to go through yet." She blinked at him, and Tigerstar knew they were both thinking the same thing. _Love._

"We can't go any farther now," Tigerstar said quietly. "Let's backtrack a bit and get some rest."

Splash quickly agreed, eager to get away from the strange feeling. They couldn't go too far without losing most of the day's progress, and so instead they settled down a short distance away, back where the feeling was only a mild itch.

Gingerstep was asleep quickly, but both Tigerstar and Splash remained awake, irritated by the itch. Finally, Tigerstar beckoned Splash towards him with her tail. She looked surprised for a moment, and then approached hesitantly, sitting down beside hm.

"You can lie down, I won't bite," Tigerstar said, and there was something in his voice that caused Splash to believe him. She laid down next to him, careful to make sure they weren't touching; she remembered how he had hated being touched by her at all.

Tigerstar blinked at her a moment, and then let out a quiet sigh. The itch prickled his pelt, reminding him of what he had to do.

"Shall I tell you a story?" he asked. Splash nodded quickly, eager for anything to take her mind off of the itch.

"Once, there was a mighty tom named Snakefang," Tigerstar said, "for he was a brutal fighter with a sharp tongue. There were few cats that Snakefang respected, and even fewer that he actually liked, and yet he was popular in his Clan for the tremendous strength and courage he possessed. Eventually he felt that he deserved more than the life of a warrior, and so he began to plot. He did eventually become leader, but his search for power instead led to his death.

"Snakefang had been a murderer of the innocent, and corrupted by his search for power, and so he ended up in the Dark Forest. At first there were other cats, his companions, but after time they all left him to search for StarClan, unable to stand their exile in death. Finally, Snakefang was alone.

"And then, one day, he happened upon a strange thing; a kit, in the Dark Forest! It was the first time he had ever heard of such a thing happening, and at first he was intrigued. Once he found out why she was there, however, he lost interest and left the kit." Tigerstar paused for a moment, watching Splash, but no looking of dawning comprehension came into her eyes, and so he continued.

"The kit would not stand to be left behind, and so she followed him. After a bit of a scrape and a near disaster, Snakefang eventually realized that this little kit might be his way out of the Dark Forest. And so, the two of them began a great journey together.

"Originally, Snakefang looked at the kit as a tool, nothing more. However, as they passed tests together and grew closer, Snakefang realized that he did in fact care for the kitten. She was a cute little thing, bright and sweet, with an unfaltering faith in StarClan and in Snakefang. Snakefang sometimes doubted himself, but the kit never did.

"The kit did not have long to make the journey, however, for she had little lifeforce and eventually began to fade. Snakefang and a friend that the two of them had met on the way immediately began to increase their pace, to make it to StarClan.

"Eventually Snakefang countered a test that he thought he had no hope of passing; the test of love. Snakefang had loved a she-cat long ago, but felt that his love had died with him. However, with the wise counsel of the other cat traveling with them, he came to realize that he did, in fact, love the kit. Not like he had loved his mate, no. He loved the little kit the way he had never loved his own kits; like a father." Again, Tigerstar paused, and seeing that Splash's eyes were slowly going round as she realized what the story was really about, he continued quickly,

"Eventually Snakefang had the courage to tell her of this; like Sun and Moon, he was a bit nervous at first, but realized he might never have another opportunity if he failed. And so, one night, he pulled the kit close and told her a little story, ending with two questions: If they did make it to StarClan and her parents weren't there yet, would she consider him as her father, until her parents arrived? And, once they did arrive, could he perhaps still remain close to her, to tell her stories and to be her confidante when the afterlife was tough?" And there Tigerstar ended his tale with a bit of surprise, for Splash had moved and buried her face in his fur, and Tigerstar had his answer. Gently, he wrapped his tail around her, and as they sat together under the North star, they felt the prickle under their pelts ease, until they were both asleep.


	23. C h a p t e r 21

**AN: Alright guys, I was away for all of Sunday, but got to bring my computer along, so cheer for this double-update~**

**C **_**h a p t e r **_**21**

The next day, Tigerstar carried Splash forward. Gingerstep blinked at them curiously, but followed, eventually realizing that Tigerstar had passed the love test while she was asleep. This seemed to make her cheery, for she found herself smiling at them, making Tigerstar feel a bit uncomfortable. He and Gingerstep _might _be friends now, but the way she gazed at him when she thought he wasn't looking unsettled him a bit.

They made good time, for heartened by his success with Splash, Tigerstar felt as if he was full of energy. By that night, the mountain looked at least a little bit closer.

The spirit did not contact Tigerstar telling him that he had passed the test; perhaps he thought he didn't need too, since it was obvious that he had passed, since the itch had gone and he wasn't dead.

Still, the fact that the spirit did not return worried Tigerstar a bit; had he done something wrong? Or were other plans being put in motion?

Splash seemed much happier and more relaxed, and she chattered on to Tigerstar. This time he was actually listening, and he learned all sorts of things about her; how she had met her father only twice, and how he had been much bigger (and fatter) than she had anticipated, how he had told her stories of his adventures in SkyClan, and all of the noble cats he had met there, and how he had decided to leave after meeting Song, who refused to become a SkyClan warrior like he was, even though her sister, Echosong, was the medicine cat. Echosong knew her sister would not join, and so she had privately asked Firestar if he would give her the prefix 'song' so that her sister would always be in her heart.

Splash told him about her mother as well, how beautiful she was, with a bright silvery coat that shown like the moon, and playful blue eyes that seemed to sparkle when she spun her stories for her little Splash. She spoke of the few times she had adventured away from her mother, trying to find her father, and that it was because of her straying that her mother decided she needed to meet Hutch in the first place.

And then, she began telling Tigerstar of the end, when Song's owner kicked them out of the house. They had tried to find Hutch, but his Twolegs had moved away to a different part in the city, and Song and Splash could not find him. With no other choice, they had decided to find SkyClan, but then a horrible blizzard had whipped up, blinding them, and Splash had fallen over the edge of the ravine where SkyClan had made their camp.

And finally, she began speaking of her hopes, the hope that her mother had still joined SkyClan, the hope that Hutch had come to find SkyClan as well, the hope that they would both make it to StarClan and find Song and Hutch waiting there for them eagerly. Tigerstar became saddened by the last one, for if Hutch and Song were there, Splash would no longer need him. Splash, however, reassured Tigerstar that she would always need him, for even with a father and a mother she would still need a kind uncle to help guide her when she felt lost.

Splash eventually tired herself out and went to sleep again, leaving Tigerstar feeling faintly uneasy. She wasn't the same cat as she had been when they had first met; her time here was taking its toll on her. She was still sweet and happy, but she was tiring more quickly now, fading more rapidly even as Tigerstar and Gingerstep struggled on the path to StarClan. Even if they passed all of the tests, Tigerstar feared, they would not be in time.

They only had two tests now, one a mystery, the other selflessness, or something like that. Selflessness would be no problem with Splash; he was quite ready to give up a mouse for her, or something of the sort. The mystery test, though, was what worried him, especially since the spirit had still not contacted them in awhile. What if it was something truly dangerous?

The mountain seemed to grow a little nearer with each step, and with that, Tigerstar took heart, lengthening his strides so that each step took them that much closer to StarClan. It appeared as if the North star hung directly over the mountain; but that, of course, was impossible. Or was it? During life, Tigerstar would have said the idea of the Dark Forest was impossible, as was the idea that he had been an evil cat. The definition of impossible could be revised, it seemed.

Tigerstar felt faintly ill at ease as they settled down for the night, although he wasn't quite sure why. They were in a forested area again, but instead of feeling safe like he normally did in the sort of forest he had been born in, he felt strange, almost unwelcome, as if some other presence was watching them. He finally did fall asleep, but he slept fitfully, and once he thought he blinked awake to see a pair of blue eyes staring at him, although he was asleep again before he could truly process the thought.

He woke up early the next morning, still feeling a bit strange. He urged Splash and Gingerstep to wake up, so that they could continue. Then, suddenly, his eyes widened as he caught a familiar scent. _It can't be! _

He took a step forward, and opening his mouth, allowing the scent to flood it. Yes, there it was; the scent of Hawkfrost. And there was another scent, too – no, two more! – that he recognized. What was the meaning of this?

"Do you smell it?" he asked Gingerstep eagerly. She frowned and shook her head, as did Splash, but Tigerstar took no notice of them, breaking into a run in his eagerness to follow the scent. Could they truly be there?

"Tigerstar, wait!" he heard Gingerstep yelp, and Splash let out a cry, but Tigerstar took no notice; he was consumed by the scent, by the need to know: was it them?

As he entered a small clearing, he halted, and his question was answered, for there stood Hawkfrost, Darkstripe, and Brokenstar, three cats that he had thought had been lost, consumed by their need for StarClan, to get out of this wretched place.

"Hawkfrost! Darkstripe! Brokenstar!" Tigerstar cried, and all three cats simply blinked at him. They all looked different, somehow; almost transparent, as if they were about to fade.

"Tigerstar," Darkstripe croaked, and his eyes seemed to almost be clouded.

"You're all alive!" Tigerstar exclaimed, still feeling astonished. "But…how? I thought you all went to find StarClan?"

"It's all a lie," Hawkfrost rasped, and his blue eyes also seemed to be glazed. "There is no StarClan."

Tigerstar simply blinked at them.

"We all went looking for StarClan," Brokenstar said quietly. "We all passed the nine tests. We all went to the top of the great mountain, where the mist collects and the North star hangs. But there was nothing there, Tigerstar. Nothing. StarClan does not wait for cats like us."

Tigerstar heard Gingerstep panting as she and Splash caught up to him.

"No StarClan?" Tigerstar croaked, feeling as if the sky was collapsing down upon him. "But…how? The spirit…."

"We are only StarClan's playthings," Hawkfrost said simply. "They don't care for us, the cats who come down here. They don't care what happens to us, for we'll all soon fade anyway. They play with us until we die."

Tigerstar shook his head. "No, that can't be true…StarClan can't just forsake us here. The North star…." But even to him, his voice sounded feeble.

"Tigerstar, what is it?" he heard Splash ask quietly, and Tigerstar turned to face her. Her eyes were wide, but she was looking at him, not at the other three cats gathered there. Gingerstep was looking around wildly, her fur bristling, as if unseen enemies were surrounding her.

"These are the cats I was with here before," Tigerstar said to Splash gently. "Hawkfrost, Darkstripe, and Brokenstar."

Splash simply blinked at him. "Tigerstar," she said softly, "there's no one there."

**AN: New poll! So, I was playing Robot Unicorn Attack (as I sometimes do between spurts of writing) and suddenly I realized I could actually make a decent fic out of the game, one that was sort of the mixture of silly and awesome that the game itself is. So, if you'd please vote on it, I'd be much obliged! Thank you!**


	24. C h a p t e r 22

**C **_**h a p t e r **_**21**

Tigerstar stared at her, and then turned, blinking at the other three cats. They seemed real to him; he could see them, smell them, hear their voices.

"What do you mean they aren't there?" he demanded. Splash shrank back, actually looking frightened of him.

"I don't see anyone!" she whispered, and glanced at where Tigerstar had been staring. "I don't smell anyone or anything!"

Tigerstar let out a growl. Why would Splash lie to him like this? Hawkfrost, Darkstripe, and Brokenstar were real, obviously.

_Maybe she isn't lying, _a voice said. _Maybe they really aren't there…maybe you're crazy._

_I'm not crazy! _Tigerstar thought forcefully. _I'm as sane as any cat!_

_Hearing voices can't be a good sign, then, _the voice said smugly, and Tigerstar promptly crushed it, turning back to Hawkfrost.

"Are you certain of this?" he asked quietly. "Are you sure StarClan is not there? Maybe…maybe you did something wrong…."

Hawkfrost shook his head slowly. "We tried everything, Father," he replied. "There is no path to StarClan for cats such as us."

Tigerstar closed his eyes. Had his entire journey been nothing but a sham, a trick, some way that StarClan got their sick pleasure? Splash…was she doomed, then? Was he? Were they all irredeemable?

"Tigerstar?" he heard Splash ask anxiously. "Are you okay?"

What could he tell her? That their entire journey was meaningless? That they were condemned to live here until they finally faded away? Splash was fading more rapidly than ever; sometimes her back legs would entirely disappear when she was sleeping, and Tigerstar simply had to watch as his daughter – for that was how he thought of her now, privately, – died slowly before his very eyes.

"Tigerstar?" Splash asked again. Gingerstep was blinking at Tigerstar now; her eyes seemed glazed with a primal sort of fear.

"They aren't real, Tigerstar," Gingerstep croaked. "They aren't real."

Tigerstar hissed at her. "Of course they're real! I can see them, smell them, hear them! How can they not be real?"

Gingerstep simply shook her head. "They aren't real," she repeated, more to herself than to Tigerstar. Tigerstar turned back to them.

"Of course we're real," Darkstripe growled, sounding more like his old self. "She must have fur in her ears, not to hear us!"

"Just because they can't hear us, doesn't mean we aren't here," Hawkfrost said in his soothing, charismatic voice. "You can hear us, can't you? Don't you trust yourself more than them?"

Something about Hawkfrost's voice made Tigerstar's pelt prickle. It took him a minute to put his paw on it, until he remembered how Hawkfrost had sounded in life and death, when he had been trying to convince a foolish cat of something, or turn him to his way of thinking. Even in death, Hawkfrost had never dared to turn this voice on Tigerstar, for Tigerstar would have never allowed it.

Suddenly, Tigerstar seemed uneasy. Suddenly, their transparent fur seemed to be stranger than he had first realized, and their glazed, almost life-less eyes made his skin crawl. Something was not right here.

"Just give up," Brokenstar said, and Tigerstar realized his voice was not the same; it was duller, somehow, like the rustling of dead leaves. "We did. There's nothing here for us anymore. Just let go, Tigerstar."

"Let go," Darkstripe said, and he too sounded strange; his voice lacked the nervous quiver it had always held when he spoke to his mentor and idol, Tigerstar.

"Let go," Hawkfrost repeated, in his strange, soothing voice. And suddenly, Tigerstar realized Gingerstep and Splash were correct; these cats weren't here at all. They were merely empty shells, remnants of the cats he had used to be with, the cats that he had once traveled with and thought of as tools, if not companions.

And then he realized something else; they were trying to lead him astray. It was another test, it had to be; no wonder the spirit hadn't been around. If the spirit had warned him, Tigerstar would have known immediately these cats were imposters, but that would have given away the test; the test of faith.

Tigerstar was quiet for a moment, and from the look in the dead cats' eyes, it was apparent that they thought he believed them after all.

"I'll let go," Tigerstar said softly, and he heard Gingerstep and Splash both make strange, worried noises behind him. "I'll let go of you," Tigerstar continued, looking the three dead cats in the eyes. "You aren't real. You're real to me, but you aren't yourselves; I suppose the real Hawkfrost, Darkstripe, and Brokenstar faded or died long ago, didn't they? They didn't have a group, or even a partner, like I did. They all went alone, and I expect they died alone." Tigerstar drew himself up to his full height. "But I'm not going to die alone, and I'm not going to fail. I have a daughter and a companion on my side, and with the three of us, we'll make it to StarClan. I believe in StarClan, and I believe they are waiting for us still. I don't need you three anymore." And with that, he turned away from them, and began padding away, flicking his tail for Gingerstep and Splash to follow.

"Wait!" he heard Darkstripe cry, a note of panic in his voice. "Don't go!"

"Don't be a fool!" he heard Hawkfrost shout behind him, but Tigerstar did not turn back.

"Let's go," Tigerstar said softly, and Hawkfrost, Darkstripe, and Brokenstar were soon lost from view.

* * *

"What was that about?" Splash asked, when they were far out of range from the three dead cats.

"It was another test," Tigerstar said simply, "Faith, I would imagine."

"Yes," Gingerstep said softly. "Faith." There was a troubled look in her golden eyes, but Tigerstar, feeling disturbed by his encounter, did not question her.

"They were your friends?" Splash asked.

"Of a sort," Tigerstar said, and for once Splash didn't ask anything else.

* * *

They settled down for the night, and Splash soon fell asleep. Tigerstar, however, was kept awake by his thoughts; had Hawkfrost, Darkstripe, and Brokenstar really failed? Were they gone forever? He knew the answer was yes, and for some reason, this made him sad. Brokenstar he hadn't cared for, and Hawkfrost and been a disappointment, but with Darkstripe he had at least had the bond of apprentice and mentor, not to mention that Darkstripe had been his closest follower. Darkstripe had always been loyal to him, even when it was too dangerous in ThunderClan, with Firestar as their leader. Darkstripe had never understood why he had ended up in the Dark Forest; in his mind, he was correct for opposing the rule of a kittypet. Darkstripe had been the first to hear of the legend of the North star, and the first to run after it.

Tigerstar glanced at Gingerstep, wondering if she too was asleep. She was not; rather, she was wide awake, kneading the ground with her claws and looking worried.

"What's wrong?" Tigerstar asked softly, and Gingerstep turned to him, startled. "N-nothing," she stammered. Tigerstar simply raised an eyebrow, and Gingerstep glanced away from him, looking down at her paws.

"The cats you saw…they were ones that led you astray in life, or ones that you led astray, correct?" she asked softly. Tigerstar nodded, and then realized she wasn't looking at him.

"Yes," he said. Gingerstep sighed softly.

"When I passed the test of faith, I only saw one cat."

Tigerstar's ear twitched with surprise. "You had to pass the test of faith? But you were a medicine cat!" he exclaimed. Splash stirred slightly in her sleep, and Tigerstar lowered his voice. "Why did you have to pass that test?"

"I…lost touch with StarClan," Gingerstep said softly. Then, she shook her head quickly. "I can't say anymore."

"It's not like I'm going to tell anyone," Tigerstar said, feeling curious as to what a simple, kind cat like Gingerstep could have done to bring herself here.

Gingerstep glanced at him, quickly, and then looked away.

"It's not like you could have done anything worse than I did," Tigerstar said, and Gingerstep sighed quietly.

"I'm not so sure about that." She turned back to him. "But, if you want to hear it, I don't suppose there's any point in keeping it from you, is there?"

Tigerstar moved closer to her so that he could hear without Gingerstep having to speak loudly enough to wake Splash up. For some reason, this seemed to make Gingerstep a bit flustered, and it took her a moment to compose herself before she could speak.

"I was born in ThunderClan, as you and Splash know," Gingerstep whispered. "However, what you did not know is that I was born far longer than you or Splash would guess. The reason I know about Duskheart, and the reason my story differs a bit from yours, is because I was _there. _My mother told me of StarClan, yes, and her mother did as well, but no one had to tell me about Duskheart's battle.I saw the entire thing, the entire battle, and indeed I was the one who tended to Duskheart's wounds after the battle was over."

Tigerstar's eyes widened. "That was ages ago!" he exclaimed. "How have you survived here this long?" And then, he blinked again. "All of that was true? Those stories, of StarClan coming down to earth?"

Gingerstep continued as if she had not heard him. "I was the youngest of five sisters. I was not the biggest or the smallest, the strongest or the weakest, the loudest or the quietest, and so I was mostly ignored. My siblings sometimes said that they would forget about me, if I wasn't always there to embarrass them. I was not much of a fighter, you see; I was rather pathetic, if I do say so myself. I wasn't much of a hunter, either, but I did love to eat and soon became quite plump. My parents knew I had no future as a warrior, and so they practically begged the medicine cat to take me on as his apprentice. He did so, but I always thought it was to his regret, for I proved to have a terrible memory for herbs. However, I tried very hard, and eventually earned by medicine cat name.

"Just as I was ignored by my sisters, I was ignored by most of the males as well. As soon as I became the medicine cat apprentice, they lost interest in me, knowing I could never be theirs. And so I spent many a lonely moon by myself in the medicine cat den.

"Eventually, my mentor died, and I took on an apprentice of my own. It was then that a male named Duskheart took an interest in me. He was ThunderClan's pride and joy, a male tortoiseshell, full of strength and confidence. I had secretly adored him from afar for many moons, and when he finally began speaking to me, I was overjoyed. He was always getting into fights, you see, and although he was an excellent fighter, he was often injured and often had to come into my den. Even then, I think I might have known he was bad news, for he had already fathered two litters with two different she-cats before he took any interest in me. One litter had given him no tortoiseshells, and the other had given him only one, and although there was another she-cat pregnant in the Clan with kits that were almost certainly his, he was still desperate for a tortoiseshell tom to carry his name and for him to pass down his power to.

"It makes sense, looking back, why he chose me. I was a ginger, so there was a good chance I would bear him a tortoiseshell or two, and since I had never had a litter and had no experience with toms, I was easy to woo. Indeed, he began coming to me for the smallest thing; thorns in his paws, a little pain in one leg, a tick he couldn't quite reach. We always talked when I tended to him, and when he confessed that the reason he was injured so often was so that he could see me, I was quite flattered. I thought it was romantic, even. He told me how much he liked me, how he was always too nervous to approach. Me being the foolish cat I was, I believed him, and flattered myself thinking that he had never loved those other three she-cats, no, that he had always loved _me. _

"Oh, Tigerstar, you can't understand the regret I feel now, the thoughts I have sometimes at night, reflecting on my life, knowing what has gone wrong, knowing that if I had just been a little more aware, I could have seen it all coming and spared myself much pain and heartache.

"The entire Clan knew of Duskheart's pleasure-seeking nature and his love for she-cats – or rather, his love for their bodies and kits – but most cats turned a blind eye or a deaf ear to his excursions. She-cats were only too happy to have his kits, even if they already had mates, in hopes that they would have his tortoiseshell toms to bring themselves honor. Our leader was old and a bit feeble, and certainly was foolish, although we all tried to ignore it. Duskheart was always on his best behavior around our leader, and I later realized that Duskheart had his eye on the deputy position, for then no she-cat would refuse him his pleasures even those from another Clan.

"And so he wooed me for several moons, saying kind things to me, and becoming even kinder when the third she-cat bore his kits, and he found that again he had no tortoiseshell toms, although all three kits were tortoiseshells. Meanwhile, StarClan said nothing to me, showed me no signs, although I visited Highstones often, seeking their guidance in my love affairs. Indeed, StarClan had never shown me any sign, although I faked several to gain the Clan's confidence in me. I so badly craved attention and trust, you see, that when Duskheart said a few kind words to me, he became my life. Finally, receiving no signs from StarClan forbidding it, I did consent to be Duskheart's mate, not thinking of the possibilities; what if I became pregnant with his kits? It would be obvious if I had any tortoiseshells, and although the Clan would forgive Duskheart – more out of losing his fighting ability, or making him and enemy to ThunderClan, than out of love for him – I would be exiled and disgraced. But I didn't think anything of it, me being as naïve as I was, and so we eventually mated. And then, the terrible thing happened; I realized I was pregnant.

"Duskheart was so pleased, you would have thought that the stars themselves had shown on him. But I was not; I was deeply worried about the future, for me and my kits. ThunderClan would take the kits in if they proved to be tortoiseshell toms, and indeed they would be well cared for, but I would be cast out of the Clan forever.

"There were herbs I knew that could solve this problem, herbs that would simply make the kits go away. But out of love for Duskheart, who seemed so bent on keeping these kits and loving them, I knew I could not do such a thing.

"I was simply trying to hide the secret for as long as I could, while trying to think of some sort of plan, some way that I could hide this. Another she-cat was pregnant at the time – surely not by Duskheart, I convinced myself, for he loved me – and so there was a possibility that she would pretend to be the mother of the kits I would birth. She and I did not see eye-to-eye, but seeing me so desperate, she did finally agree to taking my kits once they were born and saying that they were hers after all. And since I would be the one with her when she kitted, I would also say the same, that they were her kits.

"For a time I was content and happy, thinking that everything would work out. However, my apprentice was growing uneasy. She knew the signs of pregnancy, and she could see them within me. She did not know what to do, whether her loyalty to me or the Clan or StarClan came first. Finally, she confronted me, telling me that if I did not confess to our leader that I was pregnant, she would tell him herself. I was desperate, I was wild, and I did the only thing that I thought I could; I killed her."

Tigerstar's eyes widened; Gingerstep, kill a cat? Her own apprentice, no less?

Seeing the shock in his eyes, Gingerstep's voice broke. "I had to, I had to," she whispered. "It was the only thing I could have done at the time; I loved Duskheart too much to leave him, and I knew he would not leave ThunderClan. Everything would have been perfect, if my apprentice would have been silent. So…I silenced her."

Gingerstep closed her eyes. "I didn't do it immediately, I bided my time. And then I arranged it to look as if some sort of wild animal had killed her while she was collecting herbs; some of my ginger hairs were at the scene of the crime, but my scent did not linger and the Clan believed them to be the hairs of a fox. I immediately went to Duskheart for help, hoping for some comfort, but he acted as if we had never spoken before, as if he didn't even know who I was anymore. The other pregnant she-cat, the one that had agreed to take my kits, was indeed pregnant by him, and it was clear more cats would soon follow, for he had an insatiable appetite. And then came his legendary battle with Lionclaw, as you know, and it was then that I saw him for the monster that he was. And I knew my apprentice's death had been in vain, for I realized there was no way I could stay here, in this Clan that did not want me, with my mate who was a beast. And I couldn't leave my poor kits with him either, for several of his other kits, the disappointments, had mysteriously died in a variety of ways, almost certainly by his paw, for Duskheart would not accept disappointments or failures. And so I fled, far away from the Clans, to a place where no cat cared who my kits' father was, or where I had come from. And there I lived for the rest of my life. The decision made by StarClan was made during my pregnancy, and I did bear a tortoiseshell tom, but because of the curse he died without even suckling from me. The other two kits lived for awhile, but one died of sickness and one simply disappeared. And so finally I died alone, Clanless, friendless, loveless….Destroyed by my love for Duskheart." Her eyes remained closed, and as she had brought her story to a close, her voice had gone softer and softer and more constricted by pain with every word. "I watched him from here, waiting for him to get his comeuppance. And sure enough, his kits that were not tortoiseshells banded together and took him down, destroying him. But he did not go to the Dark Forest, no, he went to StarClan, for later in his life he repented for his crimes, or at least pretended to. And I had hoped to never see him again, but when I went on this journey and had to pass the test of faith, he was there, trying to lead me on the wrong path again. And, Tigerstar, I still loved him, even knowing all he had done." Gingerstep fell silent, her head bowed, and suddenly Tigerstar felt an overwhelming feeling of pity for her, and a sudden surge of injustice.

_How is that fair? _Tigerstar thought, feeling outraged. _How could StarClan be so cruel to one cat, an innocent, and so kind to a monster such as Duskheart? How can they just sit by and let this sort of thing happen, over and over again? _He had no answer, and he knew that neither Gingerstep nor Splash would either. He simply rested his tail on Gingerstep's shoulder and blinked her with sympathy in his amber eyes. Gingerstep smiled at him sadly, and then sighed quietly, finally closing her eyes. She was soon asleep, or was at least convincingly pretending to be so, and finally Tigerstar was asleep as well, still feeling deeply troubled by what he had heard.

**AN: Poor poor Gingerstep! And geez, Duskheart fathered five litters…impressive, even for him….**

**Also, I noticed after I wrote this chapter that Tigerstar was surprised (and even a little disgusted) that Gingerstep had killed her apprentice, who had been working for the good of the Clan. However, that was almost exactly what Tigerstar did; kill a good apprentice (Ravenpaw) who was going to tell the leader of something that would interfere with his plans. Strange, eh?**


	25. C h a p t e r 23

**AN: So, one of you asked how Tiggy will be all evil in TR; the explanation will come at the end (I'm going to make another AN-chappy like I did with TR), and in addition to the answer to that question, I'll fill you guys in on some more behind-the-scenes type stuff.**

**I can answer a bit of your question now, though; looking back on the lives Tigerstar gave Unke Tiggy, you can see that he wasn't really bad until the lives started progressing along. At the beginning he was a bit cold to Tiggy, but other than that he wasn't very monstrous. However, as his influenced over Tiggy grew, his attitude started to change until the grand finale, when he was truly monstrous.**

**C **_**h a p t e r **_**23**

Tigerstar realized upon waking up in the morning that he had completed eight tests, leaving one more before they could climb the mountain and ascend into StarClan.

_It has to be truly selfless, though, _Tigerstar thought, and frowned. _That means I can't sacrifice something for Splash on purpose, knowing that it will bring us both to StarClan. It has to be because I mean it. But where is there an opportunity for that, here?_

Gingerstep was nervous when they woke, and as they began traveling, Tigerstar soon realized why; they were near the end of their journey. If all went well, Gingerstep, Tigerstar, and Splash would reach StarClan. If it did not, they would be stuck in the Dark Forest forever. It was enough to make even Tigerstar nervous.

Gingerstep kept looking over her shoulder as they neared the foot of the massive mountain, as if she was expecting someone to leap out at her.

"I'll protect us," Tigerstar promised, trying to console her, but Gingerstep simply glanced at him and looked away as quickly as she could. It wasn't quick enough for Tigerstar to miss the deep sorrow in her eyes. It gnawed at him for the rest of the day.

Finally, they reached the foot of the mountain, and as Tigerstar turned to look up at it, he couldn't help but let out a quiet gasp. It was truly huge, the peak seemed to touch the North star; indeed, the star almost seemed to hang directly over the mountain.

"It's guided us home," Splash said softly.

"Or to your deaths," Gingerstep said under her breath, quietly enough that Tigerstar almost didn't catch her words. He glanced at her quickly, but she wasn't looking at him; her eyes seemed misty and far-away.

_She said 'your' deaths, not 'our' deaths, _Tigerstar noted, feeing unnerved. _What does that mean? Does she know something that we don't?_

Splash didn't appear to have heard Gingerstep's comment; rather, her blue eyes were bright, even though her tail to her middle region seemed to blip in and out of existence now and then.

_It is good we are so close, for Splash is at the end of her strength, _Tigerstar realized, and again he bent to pick her up. It was luck that he did so, for as they began walking up the rough rocky slope, Tigerstar's pads were cut again and again until they bled silver. He began to feel weary at only sunhigh, and they had to all stop and rest several times before they camped for the night. Gingerstep was still on edge, although Tigerstar wasn't sure why; surely no bad cats would be this close to StarClan, without passing on?

"Relax," Tigerstar said to Gingerstep quietly. "If you're nervous, we can watch through the night. I'll take the first shift."

Gingerstep turned to him, and her golden eyes were wild. "Run," she whispered. Tigerstar blinked at her, confused. "Run," she whispered again, and her voice was stronger this time, resolute, as if a great decision had been made. "It's a trap, Tigerstar. I've been leading you into a trap this entire time. All of it, ever since I joined you."

Tigerstar simply stared at her. "What are you talking about?"

Gingerstep was quivering. "There's a group, Tigerstar, led by a fierce cat that lives on this mountain. Every cat in the group is incapable of selflessness; they cannot pass into the mist without dying. But they had discovered a secret, Tigerstar; the secret to immortality. I am in this group, Tigerstar, and it was my duty to lead you here into an ambush, where you would be killed and your lifeforce used. You asked how I could be so old, Tigerstar? I've been in this group ever since I attempted this journey in the first place. I've been dependant on it just to stay alive. Otter is in league with us, sort of; whenever a large group passes through he lets us know, and then we set the trap for them. One of our group is dispatched to lead them here, in case they get lost on the way, or stuck on a certain test. Otter notifies us out of fear; he hates it, but he has no other choice, for he can't pass his next test and he knows we will kill him otherwise….He knew that a kit in the Dark Forest was big news, and so he notified us…." She closed her eyes. "Please, Tigerstar. I was sent to trap you two, but I can't go through with it now. I can't hurt Splash, and you…." Her voice trembled.

Tigerstar reeled with shock. "But, if they're on the mountain…StarClan…."

"I don't know if StarClan waits for us or not, but it doesn't matter. If you don't leave now, you'll die. Find somewhere to settle down with Splash until the end. I've heard that fading…isn't so bad…."

Tigerstar let out a quiet growl. "Splash and I are going to StarClan; being killed is better than giving up. Either way we'll be stuck in hell, and I won't let Splash give up that easily. I'll carry her up there alone if I have to."

Gently, he picked up Splash. She blinked awake for a moment, looking confused, before her eyes drooped closed again.

"Tigerstar," Gingerstep whispered, but Tigerstar didn't look at her.

"Just stay away from us," Tigerstar growled. "We don't need you anymore."

"Tigerstar, wait," Gingerstep said pleadingly, but Tigerstar did not look back.

* * *

Tigerstar padded up the mountain, ignoring the pain in his paws; it felt as if someone was digging spikes into them with each step. He knew he was losing more precious lifeforce as he continued, but he didn't care; what did it matter, so long as they made it to StarClan after all?

Tigerstar finally collapsed from exhaustion, making Splash squeak slightly.

"Sorry," he grunted. "I'm just tired…I'll just rest for awhile, okay? Then we can begin moving again."

"Where is Gingerstep?" Splash asked, a quiver to her voice, but Tigerstar was already gone, fast asleep.

* * *

Low laughter woke Tigerstar, and as he blinked around him, he saw bright, gleaming eyes. Tigerstar sprang to his paws, snarling, but more laughter echoed around him. More pairs of eyes appeared, until Tigerstar realized that he had Splash were completely surrounded. Splash huddled between his paws.

"Awake? A pity; it's usually easier to be asleep, or so I've heard," a cold voice said from the mass of blinking eyes. A gray tom, so dark that his pelt was nearly black, stepped forward. A cool smile hovered on his muzzle, and he blinked at Tigerstar. Tigerstar blinked back, feeling confused. This tom seemed familiar, something about him….

"Who are you?" Tigerstar growled, tensing. "We don't want any trouble. We're on our way to StarClan."

The tom laughed quietly. "I can see that," he purred. "I'm afraid you'll never make it, though," and as he spoke, his sounded genuinely sad. "We need your lifeforce, you see," he continued, speaking as calmly as if he was talking about the weather.

"Please," Gingerstep whispered, and she too came forward, her golden eyes filled with shame. "Can't we just let them go…?" She gazed at Tigerstar, and her eyes were full of an emotion that Tigerstar had suspected for some time that she felt for him. The other tom misinterpreted her look, however, for he simply smiled.

"Are you fond of the kit?" he asked. "You can have her, Gingerstep, I don't mind. She's only got a few days left, that one, and you medicine cats do love having little kits nearby." He flicked his tail. "You, there, surrender her," he ordered, and Tigerstar's heart sparked with fury as he realized the gray tom was ordering him about. "It'll be much better for her if you just give her up, or we'll have to kill her too."

"Over my dead body," Tigerstar hissed, and the tom laughed.

"Don't worry, that will come in time," he purred, and then smiled. "You don't realize who I am, do you?"

Tigerstar's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing, for it was true; he did not know this strange gray tom.

"I'm the beginning of it all, you see; the beginning of this," the tom hissed, glancing around him. "If it wasn't for me, there would be no Dark Forest. Or at least, not in this form, for I am plainly not the last bad cat to have walked the earth. I was the first cat here, Tigerstar, and I shall be the last to fade; it is my being here that ties my mother here as well, you see, and you should be grateful of that. The North star wouldn't be here without me."

Suddenly it clicked in Tigerstar's mind, and he opened his mouth to speak the tom's name, but Splash beat him to it,

"Shadeclaw."

**AN: OMG, rite? I warned you guys that the stories were important! Yes, this is Shadeclaw, the first ever cat to be in the Dark Forest. And yes, the North star cat was waiting on him to come to StarClan, for she refuses to move on without him. So in a way, Shadeclaw is responsible for Tigerstar being in the Dark Forest, but also the reason that Tigerstar can get out of it.**

**How has he been alive this long? We shall see….**


	26. C h a p t e r 24

**AN: Someone suggested I do a chapter from Splash's POV.**

**So I did.**

**To answer a question: The only tests that are constant are the selflessness and cleansing tests. The other tests that cats receive are based on the nine traits that defined them in life, sort of like the lives that cats receive from StarClan. Tigerstar's lives were different from Firestar's, and such.**

**And as we'll soon find out, no cat can make it to the mountain alone.**

**C **_**h a p t e r **_**24**

Shadeclaw laughed at their amazement.

"But that was…years and years ago!" Tigerstar exclaimed. "How…?"

Shadeclaw smiled at him. "You're going to find out soon enough, just you wait," he purred. "Your surrounded, my friend, and believe me; it will be easiest if you just surrender. We don't want to lose much lifeforce, you see."

Splash felt Tigerstar tense, and pull her closer to him with one paw.

"Over my dead body," he hissed, a deep growl rumbling in his throat. Shadeclaw simply smiled.

"All in good time," he said softly. As if he had given some unseen signal, the cats around him suddenly lunged forward. All Splash could see from between Tigerstar's paws were the flashing of eyes as several cats raced forward. Tigerstar let out a snarl and lashed out with his claws at one she-cat, but she dodged him neatly and sprang onto his back. Tigerstar reared back to throw her off, exposing Splash in the process. Strong jaws clamped around Splash's scruff, and lifted her into the air.

Splash let out a wail. "Tigerstar!" she yowled. He turned and let out a roar, charging forwards, but even as she watched he was buried under a mound of cats.

Splash struggled in the jaws that held her, unable to turn around and see her captor.

"Be still," a voice hissed, and Splash realized it was none other than Gingerstep. This only made little Splash struggle harder; Gingerstep was a traitor.

"Quit that or you'll waste more of your lifeforce," Gingerstep whispered, and finally set Splash down. They were farther up the mountain now, away from the battle. Splash immediately rose to her paws to dash away, but Gingerstep put her paw on Splash's tail, pinning her to the spot.

"Let me go!" Splash hissed, and turned, sinking her little claws into Gingerstep's paw. Gingerstep simply stared at Splash for a moment, her golden eyes wide with surprise. Then, they clouded with sorrow, and she sighed quietly.

"You don't understand, Splash, I had no choice but to bring you here. We depend on cats like Tigerstar, strong healthy ones brimming with life that come here for redemption. I was sent to bring you two here, I've done it before, but with you two…I couldn't do it. I told Tigerstar he had to run, Splash, to be safe." Her eyes were wide, pleading with Splash to trust her.

"But you are with them again," Splash said, and her blue eyes burned with an emotion that she had never felt before; hatred.

"I had to, Splash," Gingerstep said in a hushed voice. "Listen, everything will be made clear, okay? I'll step off your tail, if you'll just listen to me, alright?"

Splash hesitated, the wheels of her mind turning. Finally, she nodded. "Okay."

Gingerstep smiled nervously and took her paw off of Splash's tail. Without hesitated, Splash turned and raced down the mountain as quickly as she could. She heard Gingerstep cry out behind her, but didn't stop, plunging downwards. Quickly, Splash ducked in a small crevice between a large boulder and the earth, where no cat could reach her. She was thin enough to fit, from her last few lean moons of life. Her eyes widened with horror at what she saw.

Tigerstar was lying with his face pressing into the dirt. No fewer than _four _cats were pinning him down. Shadeclaw was circling around Tigerstar, smiling as if he had caught a particularly delicious piece of prey.

"Now, we haven't hurt you yet," Shadeclaw said, his voice soft, gentle even. "That will come soon enough. It's funny how you cats are, isn't it? Clinging on so tenuously to life? And every cat that is like that in life is like that in death as well, make no mistake. And we have found that those who cling on to life so have the most of it, and that is what we survive on.

"You see, Tigerstar, every cat faces the same final test; selflessness. And so StarClan created a bit of a loophole in their system; it is possible to give up a portion of your lifeforce to another cat. If you give up all of it you will die, but giving up a little of your own free will, for no other reason than to help another cat, will send you to StarClan."

Shadeclaw smirked. "It's quite an interesting little quirk to this place, but anything can be turned for selfish purposes, even selflessness itself. And we use it. You see, Tigerstar, most cats that make it this far don't want to give up their life. But you'd be surprised what incredible wonders a little pain can do." A malicious den split his muzzle.

"I can take whatever you can do to me," Tigerstar hissed. "I'm not afraid of pain."

"Maximum pain, minimum lifeforce, you see," Shadeclaw said. "We can't spare even a drop if we're to keep our youthfulness. Now if we were to let you and the kit go, eventually you would have figured it out somehow and given your lifeforce to her, assuring that you would pass on, as would she, since she is tied to you in spirit. In other words, sharing your lifeforce with another links you to them; if they make it to StarClan, so do you, and if you do, then so will they. No cat can even make it this far by their own, Tigerstar; they have to join up with another cat or cats, if they ever want to pass the tests. After all, without another cat to defend or fight for, how can you prove loyalty, or courage?"

Shadeclaw laughed again, quietly. "However, neither you nor the kit are going to StarClan now. You're going to feel pain, Tigerstar, real pain, and when you finally snap you'll have to give us your lifeforce. We can torture you for minutes or moons, Tigerstar, it is your choice. And if you don't submit, we'll kill the kit in front of you."

Splash heard a gasp behind her, as Gingerstep caught up.

"Splash, come here," Gingerstep whispered. "You aren't going to want to see this."

Splash didn't even glance back at the ginger tabby; she was focused on what was going on with Tigerstar. Shadeclaw was watching, eyes gleaming, as a muscular dark tabby stepped forward, towards Tigerstar's hindquarters. Tigerstar struggled, trying to turn his head, but could not. The large tabby brushed his nose over Tigerstar's back, almost gently, sniffing around until he got to Tigerstar's back paws. Tigerstar's claws were out, and shone slightly silver; he must have fought before being taken down. Splash's little heart swelled with pride at the thought of her Tigerstar battling the other cats to save her.

Then, she let out a gasp as the tom suddenly bit down on Tigerstar's back paw, his teeth closing around the paw. There was a snapping sound and a sudden spurt of silver. Tigerstar let out a hiss of pain, but said nothing, did not cry out. Then, the tom actually grasped one of Tigerstar's claws in his teeth, and _pulled. _Splash's jaw dropped open in horror as she realized the tom was literally ripping Tigerstar's back paw apart. Tigerstar's jaw was clamped firmly shut, but his eyes were closed and he seemed to be shaking as the tabby spat out his prize; one of Tigerstar's back claws.

_They're declawing him,_ Splash realized, _as if he was a kittypet! _Sudden rage came over her, and she began shaking with anger. She wanted to race out there and rip the tom apart, tear him to bits, and Shadeclaw too. But she knew she could do nothing; she was weak, fading away. She only had days, Shadeclaw had said.

Days. Her life was measured in days now. The thought made her shudder all over, and suddenly she felt desperately queasy. Her back arched suddenly as her stomach struggled to bring something upward, to relieve the stress. There was nothing there for it, however, and she simply retched before collapsing on the ground, suddenly feeling unbearably small.

**AN: Sorry this took so long. Writing from Splash's POV was actually really hard (I'm not sure why, since I love RPing young characters) and it slowed me down a bit. Then the 'net crashed for a day, so that's why I'm just now bringing this to ya. Sorry~**


	27. C h a p t e r 25

**AN: Lawl, Robot Unicorn Attack is amazing. Spread the word. xD**

**First, N/N, there is no way I can update two a day now. If you haven't noticed, I'm not even updating once every other day. I just don't have the time. And if you'll notice, most of these chapters are about two-hundred more words than TR, so they are longer. One of these chapters was over three thousand words long. And I'm sorry if you think they're short, but I hadn't updated for days, and like I said, writing from Splash's POV was just very strange for me, and I wanted to finish the chapter quickly, so I could move on.**

**C **_**h a p t e r **_**25**

Tigerstar bit down on his paw, allowing the pain in his front paw to distract him from the roaring pain in his back paw. The tabby had proceeded to rip out two more claws before Shadeclaw had finally told him to stop; Tigerstar was ashamed that he had almost given in, then. If the tabby had just pulled one more, the pain would have been unbearable. Tigerstar would have crumbled.

Shadeclaw didn't want to waste anymore lifeforce, however, and would allow the wounds to heal. The group of cats was resting now; in the morning, they would resume Tigerstar's torture.

Tigerstar closed his eyes, his jaw clenched. It was over, then. His back paw had healed slightly, but he couldn't get away easily. And even if he could, Splash was lost as well. She had disappeared during the battle, stolen from him, probably to die at the paw of some other cat. And he hadn't even been able to say goodbye….

A low moan, almost inaudible, escaped him. He had nothing to live for now. Without Splash, he would never make it to StarClan…and he didn't want to make it without her anyway.

He couldn't get out of this mess, though, not without surrendering to Shadeclaw and fueling his evil mission, immortality. It was either that, or allow himself to be killed through torture…and although Tigerstar had been in many hard places during his long life, he wasn't sure how long he could hold out against that. Eventually he would run out of claws, if he didn't die, and then what would they go for? Other, more sensitive parts?

Tigerstar opened his eyes again, glancing around. All of the cats were asleep, so sure of their power that they did not even need a guard. Tigerstar let out a low growl. He could walk away right now, they wouldn't even notice. But what would be the point in that? He couldn't make it to StarClan, and if he ran back into the forest they would eventually find him, and the retribution that Shadeclaw would have on him then….

"Tigerstar?"

That single word, whispered so as not to wake the other cats, was enough to make Tigerstar's heart rise, and for hope to light a flame in his heart.

"Splash?" he whispered, and his eyes narrowed, trying to see her. There was a slight glint of silver, and a flash of blue, as his little kit crept towards him. Her eyes were round, and she glanced around nervously.

"Are you alright?" she whispered, pressing her nose against his shoulder. Tigerstar hesitated, and then sighed quietly.

"No," he said, and placed his tail over her shoulders. Even this slight movement caused his back paw to ache.

"We've got to hurry," Splash said in a hushed voice, and tugged on his ear. "Come on, Tigerstar."

Tigerstar simply blinked at her. "We don't have anywhere to go, Splash," he told her gently. "We haven't passed the final test yet."

"I know, but maybe…with the circumstances, if we can make it to the top of the mountain, they'll let us in anyway…." Splash's voice faltered slightly, and she rested her face against his side.

Tigerstar sighed quietly. If they were to pass the test of selflessness, he would have to give her his lifeforce. But as Shadeclaw said, cats who made it thus far cling onto life with a vengeance; could he force himself to let go, even just a bit?

"The words are, 'I give up this part of my life so that another may live,'" a quiet voice said nearby. Tigerstar turned, recognizing it, a rumbling growing in his chest. Gingerstep padded forward, her golden eyes wide with sorrow and pleading.

"I know you don't trust me," Gingerstep said before Tigerstar could say a word. "I don't care. I just want you both to be safe. I was supposed to be the guard tonight, I volunteered so that I could help you both escape. I'll carry Splash, and the three of us can run to the top of the mountain—"

"You won't carry Splash," Tigerstar snarled. Gingerstep's eyes turned cold.

"You can't do it, your back paw will make it difficult for you to climb, let alone carry her. And if you're going to give up some of your lifeforce to her, then you'll have an even harder time. I'm fit and strong, Tigerstar; I have very little to lose."

"I don't trust you," Tigerstar said.

"I think she means it," Splash said quietly. "She stole me during the battle so I wouldn't get hurt, and so I wouldn't have to see…what happened to you. But I escaped and I saw it all and then…." Splash seemed to think for a moment. "She helped," Splash said simply, unable to quite find the words. Gingerstep had held Splash when she had emerged from her crevice, and groomed her gently and whispered to her while Splash shook with fear and anger at seeing Tigerstar treated so.

Tigerstar hesitated for a brief moment, and then sighed. This was their only chance; if he didn't take it, both he and Splash would perish.

And then, something occurred to him, out of the blue; faith. Passing the faith test had been about his faith in StarClan; he had been afraid of them for as long as he could remember, for some reason; he had always believed himself to be a plaything of StarClan, that they were not to be trusted.

But didn't faith mean trusting in others, too? He had never trusted anyone in life, either; every time he did, they bungled it, leaving him holding the pieces. It was too late for him to fix those mistakes.

Perhaps he could stop himself from making new ones.

"Fine," he said, and Gingerstep blinked in surprise. A slow smile spread across her face, although as one cat shifted slightly in his sleep, her smile disappeared.

"Hurry," was all she said as she bent to pick up Splash.

* * *

Tigerstar swore under his breath as they ran; it had taken no more than a few strides to send a burst of pain through his paw and up his leg. Now his pads were scraped and sore again, and the wounds on his back paw had opened up again, sending silver lifeforce streaming over the rocks. If it didn't disappear so quickly, it would have been a perfect trail for Shadeclaw to follow. As it was, Tigerstar was beginning to struggle to keep up with the swift Gingerstep.

Above him, Tigerstar felt no prickling, although the peak of the mountain was in sight. He hadn't given any lifeforce to Splash yet; but there would be time, wouldn't there? He wanted to be as close to the peak as possible before he did it, in case he didn't do it right…in case he gave too much or too little to matter.

He risked a glance over his shoulder, and his stomach plummeted.

"They're behind us!" he growled to Gingerstep. "Shadeclaw's smart; they didn't make a bunch of noise when they realized we were gone, they just chased us; if I hadn't looked, they'd be on us before we even knew what was happening!"

Gingerstep's eyes widened, and Splash let out a nervous squeak; the stress caused everything from her tail to her shoulders to bleep out of existence for a moment, leaving Tigerstar more worried than before.

"Hurry," he grunted, and forced himself to move faster, pushing through his exhaustion and the burning pain. He would not fail. He would not let Splash down.

Behind them the cats were gaining; they were fresh and full of energy, switching places in the mob to conserve energy. Shadeclaw remained at the head, his eyes burning with malice.

"I should have expected this much from the son of the North star and Shadowstar," Gingerstep said under her breath. Tigerstar turned towards her quickly.

"Shadowstar?" he asked. "_The _Shadowstar?"

Gingerstep glanced at him, and nodded, careful not to shake Splash. "He's Shadowstar's son, the original Shadowstar, who founded ShadowClan," she said quietly, "as well as the son of the North star, and the first cat to ever join the Dark Forest."

_No wonder ShadowClan has a reputation for evil, _Tigerstar thought, and then realized, _we were Clanmates, of a sort, he and I. We were both in ShadowClan, although for very different reasons, I'm sure._

Gingerstep kept glancing back over her shoulder, paling more and more under her ginger fur as the cats got closer and closer. Finally, she nudged Tigerstar with her shoulder.

"Take her," Gingerstep said quietly, pushing Splash towards him.

"Why?" Tigerstar asked, feeling almost afraid; Gingerstep's eyes were shining with a strange, almost desperate light.

"Just take her!" Gingerstep said, her voice almost a growl. Carefully, Tigerstar grabbed Splash's scruff, adjusting his grip once Gingerstep let go.

"Don't stop running, no matter what," Gingerstep whispered, and then suddenly, she was gone, and Tigerstar realized what she was planning on doing.

She was going to fight Shadeclaw and hold them off while Tigerstar ran.

**AN: Oh noes, cruel cliff-hanger. I really need some votes on that poll, though; we'll need to make it to six total votes before the next chapter!**


	28. C h a p t e r 26

**C **_**h a p t e r **_**26**

Tigerstar steeled himself. He couldn't look back, couldn't lose the precious time that Gingerstep had given him. He couldn't let her sacrifice be meaningless.

For it was a sacrifice, he knew; she wasn't going to make it back to him. She was willing to fight the others and hold them off as long as she could, so Tigerstar and Splash would make it to StarClan.

Tigerstar could have stopped her. Not with force, he was too weak at the moment, but with three simple words; three words were all it would take. He could not, however, for he did not feel the emotion behind the three words. And so, instead, he ran on.

Gingerstep let out a cry of pain, and Tigerstar couldn't help himself; he looked. He turned, just in time to see a spray of silver, as Gingerstep fell back, her throat slashed by Shadeclaw's claws. Her mouth was moving, but Tigerstar couldn't hear her words over the roar of the blood pounding in his ears. He wanted nothing more than to turn and race back, as if he could somehow save her. He could give her his lifeforce, true, but he wouldn't have enough to spare to keep her alive and make it up to StarClan. Even if he revived her, the three of them would only be killed again, by Shadeclaw.

Splash let out a cry, as she suddenly realized Gingerstep wasn't coming back.

"Gingerstep!" she howled, and her little legs kicked, as if she was trying to get away from Tigerstar. "Gingerstep!"

"She can't be helped now," Tigerstar said softly. "She's gone."

And then, suddenly, Gingerstep's scent flooded his nose, he felt her pelt brush against his, and he heard her laugh, as sudden strength flowed into him. And he realized what she had done; with her last breath, she had given her life to him.

Tigerstar was almost swept away by sorrow, as Gingerstep's presence seemed to fade from him, although her strength flowing through his veins stayed. He pumped himself harder, racing faster, feeling the pain in his paws ease as Gingerstep's spirit soothed it with her lifeforce.

She had been selfless, she had passed the final test, but it was too late for her now. Only Tigerstar and Splash could make it.

The mist hung tantalizingly above them, just out of reach. Tigerstar was desperate to reach it; it seemed almost within his grasp. He let out a laugh of triumph; they couldn't be caught now, not with Gingerstep's strength and love within him.

He had to say them now, the words, the words that would pass the final test and allow him and Splash into the mist. He opened his mouth slightly to let them escape, and then choked on them. He tried again, but to no avail; he couldn't do it. Even with Gingerstep's life inside of him, he couldn't grant any of his life to Splash. His tenacious clinging to life, so helpful during the past, was now blocking him from doing the only thing that could save it. His body wouldn't allow him to let go of anything, just as he had been unable to die easily; he had struggled, his body had fought, and it was that fighting that had kept his blood pouring out, soaking into the forest floor….

He loved Splash, but love was not enough, not here. He loved Splash, but life itself was still more precious to him, and he could not let it go. Tigerstar found himself slowing slightly; what was the use? They couldn't make it now. He couldn't do it. He was both too weak and too strong.

Suddenly, he felt claws dig into his back. He stumbled as another pair of claws dug into him as well, sending him pitching forwards. Splash tumbled out of his jaws, letting out a yelp as her shoulder struck a rock. Tigerstar turned, snarling, into the face of Shadeclaw and the dark tabby that had torn out his claws earlier.

"Thought you could get away, did you?" Shadeclaw hissed. "You won't. I'd rather kill you than let you get away…."

More cats were approaching now, and Tigerstar knew he was doomed. Even if he could throw off Shadeclaw and the other tom, the mist was too far away, and he couldn't let go of his life….

In the confusion, Splash had struggled to her paws. Her shoulder was leaking silver lifeforce, but sluggishly, as if most of her lifeforce had already disappeared, as if the supply had nearly run out.

"Tigerstar!" she cried, her voice rigid with fright.

"Run, Splash!" Tigerstar grunted, "Run!"

"I can't without you!" Splash cried.

"Just go!" Tigerstar shouted, as Shadeclaw sprang forward, landing on top of him. Tigerstar kicked him off, but the larger tom immediately took his place, pressing the breath out of Tigerstar's lungs. He gasped for breath, as Shadeclaw came again, this time placing his paws over Tigerstar's throat, strangling him.

"We'll keep you alive," Shadeclaw hissed, "but just barely."

Tigerstar was still struggling, but his struggles were growing weaker as more cats arrived, working together to keep him pinned down while Shadeclaw pressed the life from him. Tigerstar's body cried out for air, and his vision was fading; he was beginning to see stars.

Dimly, he thought, _this is the end. They'll torture me until I break. Or, until I die._

With that knowledge, he ceased his struggling; it was useless. Dimly, he could hear Splash crying out with fear.

"Run," he whispered to her, although he knew it was useless. He – they – still hadn't passed the last test.

And then, suddenly, he saw it. He saw what his journey had been about. It wasn't just about helping Splash, or finding StarClan. It had been about the journey inside himself, too. He wasn't the same cat that he had been, before. He wasn't the cruel, selfish, ambitious cat that he had been. He was a new cat, a new Tigerstar.

_I'm not who I was! _He thought, still the voice in his mind still strong, despite his consciousness fading. _I'm not the cat that I was! This journey has changed me, Splash has changed me. I can't make it to StarClan now…but she can. All I have to do is pass the final test, and the mist will be open to her. She can live in StarClan, even with me gone; her parents will join her son._

_I'm not the same cat I was in life. _

And with that thought, he did it; he let go of his former self, of the choices he had made, and his grip on life itself began to weaken, as he gave up. For the first time in his life, Tigerstar showed weakness, and with it, true strength.

"I give up all of my life so that another may live," he whispered, using the last of his breath. And then, he felt it flowing from him; his life, his past, his memories, all flowing into Splash. Through the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a silver streak, Splash running towards StarClan. He saw the look of realization on Shadeclaw's face, the anger that he had been cheated of another life. Shadeclaw let out a roar, and his claws flashed as they plunged into Tigerstar's throat. Tigerstar felt a brief flash of pain, and as the world faded from him, an odd sense of joy; somehow, he knew deep within that Splash had made it. She had made it to StarClan.


	29. E p i l o g u e

**E**_** p i l o g u e **_

Tigerstar opened his eyes. He blinked slowly once, twice, and looked around himself, feeling confused. He seemed to be surrounded by mist, a strange mist that seemed to pulse with a silver light. He opened his mouth to scent, but found nothing, no scents.

"Tigerstar!" A sudden shout reached him, and he turned. His jaw dropped with disbelief as he saw Gingerstep, padding through the mist towards him. Her ginger coat flickered like flame, and she licked his muzzle.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"What?" Tigerstar asked, and frowned. "Where are we?"

"You're at the border of StarClan and the Dark Forest," a voice said softly, so familiar that Tigerstar knew who it was without even looking. He did anyway, and blinked into his former leader's blue eyes.

"Bluestar," he whispered. And then, his heard leaped. "Splash!" he exclaimed. The silver kit raced forward, running straight into his legs, nearly tumbling him over. Tigerstar licked her head, and she blinked up at him happily, before turning to Bluestar.

"Why don't they have the stars?" Splash asked, and Tigerstar realized something had changed within her; in her silver pelt were stars, dozens of them, twinkling brightly.

Tigerstar looked up from Splash, to Bluestar. "What's going on?" he asked finally.

Bluestar sat down. "Your case was…quite unique," she said slowly. "You took all nine tests for young Splash here, changing yourself in the process. You're not the same cat that you were when you died."

"I know," Tigerstar said, and he pulled Splash closer to him with one paw, feeling protective of her.

Bluestar closed her eyes. "What you didn't realize, Tigerstar, was that you were never going to StarClan."

Tigerstar's eyes widened, and he looked at Gingerstep, but she looked just as surprised as he did. "What?" he asked, feeling betrayed, angry, and confused, all at once.

Bluestar sighed quietly. "You were to act for Splash," she said slowly. "You were to take the tests for her, to earn her way to StarClan. Not your own."

"What? But, the spirit, he—"

"Did he ever tell you you were going to StarClan?" Bluestar asked bluntly. "Did he ever say that, exactly?"

Tigerstar opened his mouth to say that yes, he had, and then closed it again. _You must take the tests for Splash, _he remembered the spirit saying. He had not said _for you and Splash, _simply for Splash. And Tigerstar realized that it was true; all along, his goal of them going to StarClan together had never been a possibility at all.

"He has to come with me!" Splash exclaimed, her blue eyes wide. "I can't go without him!"

"I know," Bluestar said, and she sounded weary. "Tigerstar…." She shook her head. "I don't know how to explain this…normally what happens is that one cat will give up only a bit of their lifeforce to another. This creates a bond between the two, and thus when one reaches StarClan, the other will too, no matter what. With you, you were acting for Splash, and thus your act of selflessness would have only sent her to StarClan, not yourself. However, in the way that you did it, you dying for her….StarClan spoke for many moons among themselves before deciding what to do with you. You were willing to die for Splash, and yet she made it here before you were completely dead…she carried a bit of your life within her. It was enough to bring you back for several moons."

"Several moons?" Tigerstar echoed. "I've been dead for…moons?" It felt as if only minutes had passed.

Bluestar nodded slowly. "Finally, we made a decision. Tigerstar, you cannot go to StarClan. However, with the honor, bravery, and goodness that you showed, you cannot be allowed to simply vanish – or worse, return to the Dark Forest. There is another option for you. If you choose it, you can be reincarnated. In your new life you will remember nothing, and if all goes well you will pass all nine tests at some point in your life, thereby redeeming yourself and earning your place in StarClan, where your memories will be restored to you."

Tigerstar was reeling inwardly.

"A-and me?" Gingerstep whispered. "Why am I here?"

"When we brought Tigerstar back, he too contained a bit of you within him, from your own sacrifice," Bluestar told her. "You were brought back as well, although you have far less time. You too have the option of reincarnation, if you choose to take it."

Gingerstep swallowed. "I-I don't know," she stammered. "This is happening…so quickly…I thought I had no hope, that dying would be the end of me…." She trailed off, and glanced at Tigerstar.

"You've got to do it, both of you," Splash whispered. "It's the only way, and I love you too much to let you go."

Tigerstar licked her muzzle gently, wrapping his tail around her. Bluestar watched him, her face expressionless.

"I'll do it," Gingerstep said suddenly, and when Tigerstar turned to her she had drawn herself up to her full height, her golden eyes blazing. "I'll do it," she said again. "This is my second chance; I'd be a fool not to take it. I'll be differently this time, I'll do things differently…I'll be the warrior I should have been all along."

Bluestar smiled, and stepped forward, touching noses with Gingerstep gently. "You'll wait until a queen is pregnant. Then, a new life will be yours, in ThunderClan," she said softly. Almost immediately, Gingerstep began becoming transparent, as if she was dying. She began fading away, but she did not look worried; rather, she looked happy.

"Tigerstar," she said softly, "we might never have another chance, so…I'll say it now. I love you, Tigerstar, and I know you don't love me back…not with the life you had, you can't. But maybe…we'll meet again in the next life…." Her voice faded with her body, and then suddenly she was gone, leaving Tigerstar with feelings of sorrow and regret.

_What would have happened? _He wondered suddenly. _What would have happened if we had lived together, in the same time period? Might we have been friends? Might we have been…more?_

Tigerstar turned to Bluestar. "If I go with her, is there a chance we might meet in the next life? Be in the same Clan?" he asked. Bluestar's blue eyes glittered, but they were emotionless.

"I cannot say…but perhaps," was all she said, a slight smile curling her muzzle. Tigerstar nodded slowly, and then licked Splash again. "If I stay in the Dark Forest, how long would I have?"

"Several moons," Bluestar said slowly. "If Gingerstep is born again in time, you could watch her from here. Time moves more swiftly in life than it does here. We can return you to the beginning of your journey, if that is your choice."

"Can I return there for a moment?" Tigerstar asked, as the details of a new plan formed in his mind.

Bluestar watched him for a moment, thoughts clearly churning in her head. Finally, she nodded, and padded forward, touching Tigerstar's nose. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he was there; back in the Dark Forest, back where he first met Splash. Back where it all began.

He breathed in and out slowly, and then let out a quiet call, calling for what he knew remained in the forest. Slowly, eight shadowy figures appeared all around him, in a circle. He smiled to himself. They were all here; his other eight lives.

Just as how his journey with Splash had been extraordinary, so had his death; nine lives ripped away all at once, each still brimming with moons of life that should have been lived. And so, somehow, they had followed him into the Dark Forest, able to appear when he called. They could do very little – they were merely shadow, not truly substantial . Moons ago, it felt like, Splash had asked him about them; the "eight figures" the spirit had mentioned. It was the only thing Tigerstar had kept from here, these other eight lives; he hadn't thought it mattered, had thought they would simply disappear once he made it to StarClan, or died. Now, however, he needed them, as perhaps the spirit had known all along.

When Tigerstar had passed the test of truth, the spirit had told him something, something that seemed strange and irrelevant at the time; a sort of reverse ritual, the opposite of the one given during a leader's ceremony, during which lives could be granted by cats willing to give them. Tigerstar hadn't any use for the ritual when the spirit had first told him, and so he had almost forgotten about it.

Until now.

_I can't trust myself, _he thought. _With no memory of my past, what might I do in another life? I might go down the exact same road again – or worse, not pass all nine tests. I can't let that happen. I must be in control. I'll have to watch my next life carefully from here, plan every step, guide him carefully into completing the first seven tests. Then with the ritual I will take over his body and guide him through the final two, the hardest of all; faith and selflessness. Then and only then will I be assured of my place in StarClan, and there I will reside with Splash, and Goldenflower._

_Forever._

He flicked his tail, summoning one of the shadows forward. "Return to StarClan," he said, indicating the patch of mist where he had appeared. "Go into the next life."

The shadow simply nodded and padded away, disappearing into the mist. It would speak with Bluestar, and he would be reincarnated.

That left seven spirits; seven spirits to grant his new self lives, and then he would take over. He would pass all of the tests and assure himself of his place in StarClan.

_This may not be how it _should _be, _he thought, _but this is how it _will _be. I'll be no plaything of StarClan. My destiny is my own._

_And that is all it will ever be._


	30. Final AN

**AN:**

**Ah, the end of another story! Feels sooo good. 3**

**Snowkit is next, for those curious, although I'll prolly take a break for a bit. I'm exhausted.**

**Now, I'd like to thank all of my reviews, followers, and poll-voters; you guys are awesome, and it is only thanks to you that I have the energy to update at all!**

**However, this AN isn't simply for celebrating; it is for analyzing as well.**

**Anyone who has not read TR (Tigerstar's Redemption) should read no further, for MAJOR spoilers are involved.**

**You've been warned.**

**You still reading? Cool, onto the analysis!**

**There were so many little details and clues I put into this story, to completely bind it to TR.**

**Let's start with Gingerstep, shall we? As many of you noticed, Gingerpaw calls herself Gingerstep in ApprenticeClan. This is not a coincidence! Gingerkit/Gingerpaw really is Gingerstep reincarnated. She possesses no memories, except for the occasional dream, and it was probably one of these dreams that prompted her into choosing her ApprenticeClan name. I did this to show the difference between Ginger and Tiger; they were both bad cats who became good, through their journey. However, when they were both brought back to life, they were very different. Tiger (Unke Tiggystwipe, as we call him) was a completely different cat, successfully mastering his faults and evading temptation from Tigerstar. Gingerpaw, however, is very different; she follows the patterns of her former life. She still thinks she is overlooked, she still has self-esteem issues, she is still attracted to the arrogant, somewhat brutal cats (Duskheart, Lionstorm) and in the end she still manages to overcome these and make a heroic sacrifice for Tiger. I think Ginger proves that a character can truly change, if they are committed to it; if they see the light. She provided a nice contrast to Tiger, with what she chose to do with her life compared to what he did. Also, if you remember Mousie, Gingerkit's little friend, I hope you noticed what Gingerstep said about the afterlife; prey caught by warriors is said to live on in StarClan, to be caught again. Mousie was caught by a warrior, Cinderfur, and thus Mousie did go on to StarClan after all. Perhaps he and Ginger met up again in StarClan? For, truly, I think she made it to StarClan. She spent quite a bit of time alone, and I think she might have passed her tests during her life, ending with the most important; selflessness, when she sacrificed her life for Tiger and Fox's love for each other.**

**Next, let's look at Tigerstar. Many of you wondered how Tigerstar became such a brute in Tigerstar's Redemption, after undergoing his change here. This is for several reasons. First, he was not 'bad' when he first spoke to Tigerkit. He was a bit cold and he did lie about his past, but this was necessary; if Tigerkit knew he was evil in a past life, would he have trusted Tigerstar? Of course not. However, as the story evolved, Tigerstar became more and more of his older self. This was done on purpose. Why did it happen? For two reasons:**

**Splash's influence over him was gone. As we saw in this story, a lot of Tigerstar's change in character stemmed from her presence. She was his morality, so to speak; the gentle influence, the good force that prompted him to change. With that influence gone, there was no one to watch him. Knowing that Splash would never know what he had done to get to StarClan, he gradually began slipping back into his old ways.**

**We know that when Tigerstar gave Unke Tiggystwipe a life, it meant that Tiggystwipe had passed one of Tigerstar's tests he needed to go to StarClan. As he did this, he gained more control over Tiggystwipe with each life; he was putting more of himself into Tigerstripe, if you will. As he did, he began losing parts of himself, losing the good traits that had brought him this far in the first place. Basically, the good in him was being sent into Tigerstripe via the lives, and thus Tigerstar was becoming his old self again.**

**Now, what about the very end? Did Tigerstar really make it to StarClan? My verdict (and although I write the story, my word is not law; you can interpret unwritten events however you please): Yes. The deal was that if his new life passed all nine tests, Tigerstar would make it to StarClan. Well, Tigerstripe passed all the tests in the end, and he made it to StarClan; thus I believe Tigerstar did as well. And do you remember at the end of TR, when it reflects upon how Tigerstripe never quite knew how it happened that he transferred his life to Foxfire? I think Tigerstar did that. Why? Well, after Tigerstripe rejected him, the lives he had earned left him, didn't they? And where else would they have had to go, but to Tigerstar? I think that then Tigerstar regained his "good" side, and once again realized his terrible actions. Then when Tigerstripe was willing to sacrifice himself for Foxfire (and pass the ninth test, although he didn't know it) I think Tigerstar aided him in this, for this way they would both go to StarClan. So I think Tigerstar and Splash ended up there with Gingerstep and Gingerpaw (I assume they would become two different cats in StarClan, since they were independent of each other...or something....). So, happy ending?  
**

**Finally, the stories. These were both interesting and fun to write; and, more importantly, they were great for foreshadowing and adding new characters to the mix. Duskheart and Shadeclaw, for example; who would have guessed you'd see them again? Or the North star, even? I think they were a great tool to kind of allow myself to branch out a bit with short, quick stories. And you'll see Snowfall and Otter again too, look out for them~**

**That's it, I suppose, unless I think of more things – or rather, remember more things. I hope you enjoyed the story, and keep your eyes peeled for some more wonderful Warriors things. :D**


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